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1. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Munira Wilson

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   I wonder whether the Secretary of State could provide clarification. She has modelled her social media ban on Australia. Its definition of a ban includes companies taking “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s having accounts with age-restricted social media platforms. She will be aware that for platforms such as YouTube and Reddit, people do not need an account to access very harmful material. Will she clarify whether she is banning children from accessing accounts or from those websites altogether?

   Hansard source
2. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Will Forster

   Local Plans

   5. What steps he is taking to support local authorities in creating local plans.

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3. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Mr Will Forster

   Local Plans

   My local authority, Woking borough council, is doing exactly as the Minister asks: it is creating a local plan, which is where our democratically elected councillors decide where we will build the homes that local people need. Is there any point in local authorities pursuing local plans if planning reforms will render them toothless?

   Hansard source
4. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

   Brain Cancer

   My brother-in-law Pip Harding, who is with us in the Public Gallery today, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma in March 2024 and given nine months to live. He is still here today, thank God—looking amazing—because he received treatment that cost a huge amount of money, which was crowdfunded. That highlights a very uncomfortable truth in our society: the treatment is there and available, but only for those who can crowdfund or afford it. I will not go through the challenges, because I know the Minister is well aware of them, but I will talk about the needs. We need clear national accountability for improving brain tumour outcomes. We need sustained and protected investment in brain tumour research so that the funding finally reflects the devastating impact of this disease. We need brain cancer care to be recognised as genuinely time-critical, because while tumours can progress in weeks, the system responds in years. We need a truly national brain cancer clinical trials pipeline, and we need the routine collection and storage of fresh frozen tumour tissue for all brain cancer patients. For families facing diagnosis today, the cost of delay is measured not in statistics, but in lives. The science is advancing. The clinicians are ready. Patients and families are demanding action. The challenge for all of us now is to ensure that the pace of policy finally matches the pace of the disease. Will the Minister set out how the Government will deliver on these priorities: clear accountability, greater research investment, improved access to clinical trials, routine access to genomic testing and tissue preservation, and better outcomes for brain tumour patients by the end of this Parliament? How will Parliament be able to hold the Government accountable for delivering them? If the system cannot match the pace of brain cancer, it will continue to fail and “terminal” will remain the outcome. We must move from “terminal” to “treatable”, so other families can have the second chance that we have now had with our Pip.

   Hansard source
5. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

   Brain Cancer

   Does my hon. Friend agree that what is needed right now is leadership, and that the large number of MPs in this Chamber today are looking towards the Minister and urging her to lead on this issue?

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6. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

   Defence Investment Plan

   Yesterday, at the glorious Princess Alice hospice summer fete in my constituency, I met Glen, a Royal Navy veteran whose last deployment was aboard HMS Broadsword. He said to me, “What are they doing to the Royal Navy? I want you to represent me and tell them that they need to sort it out”, so I am telling them to sort it out. Why are our Government ducking the responsible decisions to fund the defence investment plan properly, and why are they disregarding the Liberal Democrat proposals to fund it through defence bonds—raising up to £20 billion over two years—so that Glen and other vets can be proud rather than despairing of the services that they used to serve so well?

   Hansard source
7. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Monica Harding

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   I welcome the ban, and I know that thousands of other parents of the frontier generation—the children who were born after the advent of Facebook in 2004—will be welcoming it too. However, as the Secretary of State has said, children get around bans, and there are also children over the age of 16 who will be vulnerable. What will the Government do to introduce legally enforceable safety by design duties on tech companies to ensure that all kids—even those who slip through the net—are safe?

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8. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Martin Wrigley

   Social Media Ban for Under-16s

   It sounds like the Secretary of State is hearing a fairly unanimous view from members of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, which is good. Today’s ban is a welcome start, but it is only a start and is not sufficient. Does the Secretary of State agree with me and the Committee that, in addition to parents and children taking action, the responsibility must be on the companies, as well as enforcement, because they are providing the product? Recommendation engines make them publishers of dangerous and addictive content; they are not passive platforms, as they would put forward, and they are doing it for financial gain.

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9. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Manuela Perteghella

   Topical Questions

   T5. The old British Home Stores building in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon lies disused and crumbling—a blight on the beauty of our high street. Does the Minister agree that it must be made easier for communities to tackle eyesore buildings by imposing harsher measures on offending landlords, and by strengthening measures to allow local authorities to bring them back into productive use?

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10. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Josh Babarinde

    Topical Questions

    I am leading the campaign to have Eastbourne pier registered as an asset of community value in order to safeguard its future. Will the Government back the campaign to ensure that Eastbourne pier continues to stand strong?

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11. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·John Milne

    Road Adoption

    In my constituency, we have to deal with increasing numbers of unadopted roads, either because the developer wants to leave the road with an estate manager, which means an annual charge, or because the road does not meet the construction standard to satisfy the local highways department. Both issues are ripe for the exploitation of residents. Will the Minister consider issuing guidance to control those abuses?

    Hansard source
12. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·James MacCleary

    Defence Investment Plan

    With the defence investment plan now nine months overdue, I hear almost daily from small and medium-sized defence enterprises that face a funding precipice. Many are warning that without certainty from Government, they will be unable to invest, hire, or—in some cases—continue operating. Will the Minister tell the House what assessment has been made of the financial impact on the UK defence industry of the continued delay to the defence investment plan? The Government’s national security adviser has said that our armed forces need a minimum of £18 billion extra—and likely a lot more. Given that his former colleagues resigned on principle over the Government’s failure to fund defence properly, will the Minister resign if he fails to secure at least that minimum allocation? In the spirit of constructive opposition, may I suggest a way for him to avoid that fate entirely? Will he consider backing Lib Dem defence bonds, which would raise £20 billion over two years and give our armed forces the immediate injection of funding they need for certainty?

    Hansard source
13. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·James MacCleary

    Russian Shadow Fleet

    I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement, and I join others in welcoming him to his new role. May I start by associating myself with colleagues’ remarks in thanking our Royal Marines? Through their bravery and skill, they have denied Vladimir Putin the fossil fuel profits that he depends on—profits which, without their intervention, would have gone straight to Russia’s frontline against Ukraine. Their courageous action has already had a chilling effect on other shadow fleet vessels, with reports suggesting that at least six ships altered course following the interdiction of the Smyrtos. Now that we have taken this step—albeit several months after the Prime Minister initially promised—will the Secretary of State commit to stopping more shadow fleet vessels and ensure that this is not just a one-off? The Liberal Democrats believe that we should not just be stopping these vessels but ensuring that the seizure of their cargo can be used to fund Ukraine’s defence. We have already called for the £30 billion of frozen Russian assets across Britain to be used to support Kyiv’s war effort. We need to do the same with shadow fleet fuel. Will the Secretary of State commit to seizing and selling the sanctioned oil transported by the Smyrtos and selling the resulting funds to Ukraine, and will he do the same for any future interdictions? The next critical step must be to close legitimate routes to market for all Russian fossil fuels. Spearheaded by our leader in the other place, Lord Purvis, the Liberal Democrats won an important concession last week on this issue, securing a commitment from the Government to an end-date for their waiver on sanctions for the import of diesel and fuel products refined by Russian crude. This gaping loophole should never have come into force in the first place. The Government must now go further. Will the Secretary of State work with colleagues across Government to ban all UK maritime services for the export of Russian oil, gas and coal? We must end once and for all the scandal of UK plc helping to fund Putin’s war machine.

    Hansard source
14. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Ian Sollom

    Topical Questions

    T6.   The Government have described the recently announced greater Cambridge development corporation as “infrastructure-first” development, so will the Minister set out what new infrastructure it will have the responsibility for delivering, and by when it will deliver it?

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15. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Helen Morgan

    Leasehold Reform

    A couple of weeks ago at my constituency surgery, I met my first victim of FirstPort. He and his wife live in a sheltered accommodation flat on the third floor, and the lift has been out of use for months. They are paying exorbitant management fees, and recently his wife had to negotiate three flights of stairs to get to an appointment while on bottled oxygen. This is not just a rip-off, but an accident waiting to happen. Will the Minister meet me and other concerned MPs to sort out what we can do about FirstPort?

    Hansard source
16. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Helen Maguire

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    Parents are doing all they can to keep their children safe online, and are taking the initiative to achieve this. In Epsom and Ewell, I attended a phone-free childhood event at St Martin’s school in Ewell. Over 150,000 people all over the country have signed the pact not to give their children a phone before the age of 14. I welcome today’s announcement as a step forward, but we need to ensure that the ban is enforced. When it is in place, what real enforcement ability will Ofcom have to ensure that social media giants are held to account, in order to safeguard our children?

    Hansard source
17. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Helen Maguire

    NHS Dentistry

    The phrases “dental desert” and “DIY dentistry” are becoming so normalised that it is easy to forget the human cost behind those terms. In 2025, over 5 million children did not see a dentist at all. Some 60% of adults have also not seen a dentist in at least the two years prior to June 2025. Barriers to accessing NHS dental care remain higher than ever, with workforce shortages, limited NHS capacity and geographical isolation creating an unjust postcode lottery. Those challenges are often most acute in rural, coastal and deprived communities, as we have heard. The Darzi report found that these communities particularly lack access to NHS dentistry. Across much of rural England, including nearly the whole south-west and much of the east of England, there are fewer than 46 dentists per 100,000 people. Research conducted by the British Dental Association and the Daily Mirror found that 96% of dentists in England are refusing to take on new NHS patients—we heard that today. This dental desert is leaving millions without access to dental care, with dire consequences. There is a significant correlation between lower availability of NHS dental care and higher demand on already stretched accident and emergency departments. Tooth decay is now the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged between six and 10 years. Between 2018 and 2024, over 100,000 children were admitted to hospital due to rotting teeth. This is utterly unacceptable. Our children deserve better. A 2023 poll found that one in five people who failed to get an NHS dentist appointment turned to DIY dentistry. One dentist in Epsom and Ewell shared his distressing experiences with patients. He described how, in desperation, his patient had resorted to using a pair of pliers to extract teeth, filing down the sharp edges of a broken tooth, and even purchasing temporary dental cement to try to fill an open cavity. This is a not too uncommon story that we hear among our constituents. In a recent survey looking into why people resort to DIY dentistry, 36% of participants said that their pain was so severe they acted out of immediacy, 33% cited the high costs of private care, and 30% said it was the inability to get an NHS appointment. This is a national disgrace. We must fix it now. The Labour Government have failed to take meaningful action. Their announcement in March to expand dental training schools amounts to only an extra 50 training places in real terms. It is a step in the right direction, but it is still a mere drop in the ocean. Even the previous Conservative Government, with their disastrous record on the NHS, overseeing waiting lists of up to 7.6 million, had more ambition. They committed to increasing the number of NHS dental training places by 24% by 2028-29 and 40% by 2031-32. Funding on their watch did fall by 16%, but they did have ambition. To make matters worse, Labour has also quietly dropped its manifesto pledge to deliver 700,000 more dental appointments, having delivered only around 100,000 urgent dental appointments so far. Labour also claims that the integrated care boards have commissioned over 1 million appointments, but commissioning appointments is different from actually delivering them. The Liberal Democrats are clear: we must take urgent and decisive action. We would implement a £750 million dental rescue plan that would guarantee access to an NHS dentist for all who need urgent and emergency care, which would end the dental desert and DIY dentistry. We would also introduce an emergency scheme to guarantee access to free NHS dental check-ups for children, new mothers, those who are pregnant and those on low incomes. In addition, we would provide guaranteed appointments for all those needing a dental check prior to undergoing surgery, chemotherapy or a transplant. Will the Labour Government implement those calls? The issues with NHS dentistry cannot be solved with those measures alone. We must also urgently reform the current dental contract, which is fundamentally unfit for purpose, to stop the exodus of NHS dentists and increase access to NHS dentistry. The current system effectively sets quotas on the number of patients a dentist can see on the NHS, as dentists are commissioned to deliver a set number of units of dental activity, or UDAs. The system pays dentists vastly different prices per UDAs delivered, with some practices receiving £30 for each UDA, while others receive over £50 for the identical work. One dentist constituent of mine told me about his practice’s commitment to providing NHS dentistry, but because of the UDA formula, he is compensated the same regardless of whether he fits one or five crowns in a patient. That means that his practice is having to subsidise the high overhead costs, including laboratory fees, to provide those vital NHS services. As a result, his practice is reliant on private dental services as a source of income, without which the business would not be able to survive. That model of NHS dentistry is simply not fit for purpose, and the impact of this system across the UK is undeniable. While the number of dentists registered to provide care in the UK is at an all-time high of nearly 48,000, having increased by 17% in the last decade, the number of dentists working in the NHS is falling. In England the total number of dentists doing some NHS work is only around 25,000, while the number of full-time equivalent NHS dentists is just 10,727. English dentists have the lowest commitment to NHS dentistry across the UK. Only 38% of them spend at least three quarters of their time on NHS work, compared with 59% in Scotland, 45% in Wales and 39% in Northern Ireland. In April, Labour announced a consultation on reform of the dental contract, which is due before this summer. But with a new Defence Secretary, a by-election, a potential leadership contest and possibly a new Prime Minister, this Government are clearly distracted. Those distractions cannot be allowed to delay reform of the contract. Any delay risks the prospect of rolling out a new contract in this Parliament, which is what the country needs and what the Government have promised. Will the Labour Government commit to ensuring that the consultation on the dental contract will take place before this summer as previously stated? The Liberal Democrats would fix the broken NHS dental contract, using flexible commissioning to better meet patient needs. That would also bring dentists back from the private sector to the NHS. We would also increase the number of dentist training places in the UK and continue to recognise the qualifications of EU trained dentists. NHS dentistry is in crisis and we must act now. Through the implementation of Liberal Democrat policies, people would be able to access the NHS dental treatments they need, ending dental deserts and DIY dentistry once and for all.

    Hansard source
18. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Gideon Amos

    Housing Developers: Accountability

    What many people see as the Government’s developer-led planning approach is draining local communities’ trust in the planning system. The new national planning policy framework proposes the most centralising changes in planning in my lifetime. It will mandate granting permissions under wider than ever presumptions in favour of sustainable development, which for the first time will overrule local plans. With no statutory protection available to them, even the most precious green spaces—not just national landscapes, not just land around railway stations—and the nature they support are under threat, including land at the Wellington monument in my constituency. As the National Trust launches its Nature equals Future campaign, will the Government allow this House to debate and vote on the proposed new national planning policy framework, which according to the Town and Country Planning Association signifies an “unprecedentedly permissive planning regime”?

    Hansard source
19. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Gideon Amos

    Housing Developers: Accountability

    People will have heard the Secretary of State referring to people wanting to protect the most precious green spaces as nimbys. They are not nimbys; they are trying to protect the most important nature in our country. If the Government will not allow a debate on the NPPF in relation to green spaces, will they allow a debate on the NPPF in relation to the expected 430,000 mortgage prisoners that the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association has identified from houses that will be at risk of flooding under new NPPF policies? If they will not allow a debate, will the Government meet the Association of British Insurers, which wants to discuss its objections to the NPPF?

    Hansard source
20. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Gideon Amos

    NHS Dentistry

    I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance), my constituency neighbour, on securing this important debate and on all his campaigning. I began my campaign in my part of Somerset’s dentistry desert in 2021, when I was not an MP. My survey found that just under half had access to an NHS dentist. When I surveyed 2,000 people last year, things had got worse and only 35% of children in Taunton and Wellington could access an NHS dentist. The House of Commons Library has pointed out that from 2015, the last Government cut funding for NHS dental services by a sixth in real terms. I start by welcoming some good news. Thanks to the campaigning by my hon. Friend and me, and many others, we can confirm the news from NHS Somerset, published today, that 10,000 more units of dental activity were delivered last year in the county than in 2024-25. Let us hope for more improvement as this financial year progresses. In addition, I had the privilege of cutting the ribbon at Wellington’s new NHS dental practice in October. I thank the Minister for the work he does. His commitment to this issue is genuine. I thank the Dentistry For You team and all those in the NHS locally, because they are achieving these things against a background of limited resources and a broken funding system.

    Hansard source
21. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Gideon Amos

    NHS Dentistry

    My hon. Friend and near neighbour is, as so often, exactly right. I completely agree that urgency is needed in the training of new dentists and in the contract changes, which I will come to. One sentence in NHS Somerset’s recent announcement stands out: “There is currently insufficient funding to provide NHS dental care for the entire population and…available resources can only support around half of the county’s residents.” That means that 64,000 children in the county did not see a dentist at all last year, putting Somerset in the worst-hit 5%. In Taunton and Wellington, it is even worse than the average. Hard-pressed parents responded to my survey to record that they are paying £100 a year per child because they cannot access NHS dentists. That grosses up to £4 million spent by parents in my constituency in the last five years. In a cost of living crisis, that is clearly unacceptable. Increasingly, I and they believe that we should be prioritising children for NHS appointments, and I urge the Government to consider that in their reforms. It is the contract that is at fault, as Eddie Crouch and all the brilliant work he does with the British Dental Association have shown. In the longer term, the key to resolving this issue is prevention. In April I became an ambassador for The Magic Dentist, a charity that brings together local primary schools and local dental practices. The charity is trying to roll out that model across the country, and I want to pay credit to its hard work, including that of its founder Nicki Rowland and the trustee Councillor George Western. I congratulate them on enabling yet another primary school—alongside Holy Trinity Church of England primary school in Taunton—to find a partner in a local dental practice, Todays Dental, led by Rob Paxman. I also thank Charlie MacEwan and the WPA Benevolent Foundation. Beginning with prevention where it works—with children—is exactly what we need to do. The Liberal Democrats are clear about what is needed: the scrapping of UDAs, reform of the dental contract, a fair share of the £29 billion for NHS dentistry, and a proper workforce plan. Until then, charities will continue to have to pick up the pieces.

    Hansard source
22. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Edward Morello

    Retirement Home Exit Fees

    12. What recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of exit fees for retirement homes.

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23. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Edward Morello

    Retirement Home Exit Fees

    A constituent of mine has been unable to wind up his late uncle’s estate since 2023. The shared ownership retirement flat, managed by Abri in Poundbury, is incurring £15,000 in service charges; even if they find a buyer, those charges plus the exit fees will effectively wipe out any value from the sale. What steps are the Government taking to tackle excessive service charges and ban exit fees in the retirement housing sector?

    Hansard source
24. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Dr Danny Chambers

    High Streets

    1. What steps he is taking to support high streets.

    Hansard source
25. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Dr Danny Chambers

    High Streets

    It is Independent Bookshop Week, and we are fortunate to have some fantastic independent bookshops in Winchester, including P&G Wells, which I visited recently. It is possibly the longest-running bookshop in the country—it has been running continuously for over 300 years, and Jane Austen and John Keble used it. Not only is it important for our local economy and our high street; it is an important part of our historical culture and a real community hub. What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that independent bookshops, which provide so much to communities, can cope with energy costs and business rates?

    Hansard source
26. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Dr Danny Chambers

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    Parents in Winchester are certainly going to welcome the Government taking action on this issue and the Minister clarifying that it will be tech companies that are responsible for enforcing it, rather than the onus being put on parents. To push the Minister on AI chatbots specifically, it is excellent that we are removing access to chatbots that allow sexual relations and content, but there is so much other misinformation and bad health information being given by chatbots. That includes people with eating disorders being advised to get weight-loss drugs and misogynistic attitudes not being challenged. Could the Minister comment more on that?

    Hansard source
27. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

    Brain Cancer

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I thank the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Paul Davies) for securing the debate. He is a true champion for people suffering with brain cancers. I also pay tribute to and recognise the excellent work of the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh). I pay tribute to everyone who worked hard on this important petition, especially Georgie Maynard and Sarah Bainbridge. It was a privilege to join Georgie and other campaigners in March to submit the petition to No. 10. A brain cancer diagnosis is utterly devastating and life changing. More than 12,000 people a year are diagnosed with this brutal condition.

    Hansard source
28. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

    Brain Cancer

    I thank my hon. Friend for talking about Zoe Wilson. For her family, it must have been absolutely devastating to have had that diagnosis. I am happy to mention her, alongside him, in the debate. Brain cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any type of cancer, with only a quarter of adults surviving five years after they have been diagnosed. Diagnosis is often too late, and access to groundbreaking treatments is not widely available. It is a scandal that so many people live in treatment deserts and are forced to drive long journeys for treatment, often after weeks of waiting for it to begin. My Liberal Democrat colleagues—I am sure everyone in this Chamber—believe that everyone deserves high-quality care, no matter where they live. That is why we have long been calling for an end to the postcode lottery in healthcare. Shamefully, the UK is lagging behind comparable nations in brain cancer treatment. I recognise that research into brain tumours is uniquely challenging, and yet with our world-beating life sciences sector, universities and the NHS, the UK should be a world leader in cancer research. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I welcome the national cancer plan. The plan’s commitment to improve early diagnosis of brain cancers, to introduce new target treatments and to incentivise research and investment in rare cancers, including brain cancer, are positive steps forward, but turning those commitments into impacts will need leadership, investment and accountability, all of which are proving difficult in an NHS engaged in a distracting and costly reorganisation, at a time of already highly constrained resources and unprecedented demand. Furthermore, the plan’s goal for the UK to be in the top 25% of countries for brain cancer survival rates by 2035 could be seen as a lack of ambition, given the potential of the UK life sciences and research sector. For the UK to become a world leader in cancer research, the Liberal Democrats would pass a cancer survival research Act, requiring the Government to co-ordinate and ensure funding for the least survivable cancers, including brain cancer.

    Hansard source
29. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

    Brain Cancer

    The hon. Member makes a very good point, and I absolutely agree with her. In that context, it is it is shocking that much of the funding promised for research in honour of Dame Tessa Jowell in 2018 is yet to be spent. Still about 75% of brain cancer research funding comes from charitable organisations; not enough comes from the Government.

    Hansard source
30. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

    Brain Cancer

    The hon. Member is absolutely right that we need to spend more on investment in research and treatment. In addition, the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission estimates that just over two thirds of treatment centres in England currently offer whole-genome sequencing, which is essential to provide improved diagnosis and treatment options. Advances in genomics have offered great promise to people with brain cancer and the UK has taken steps to become a world leader in genomic research. However, progress has stalled, with genomic services across the UK not being set up to facilitate research. To ensure that brain cancer patients do not miss out on potentially life-saving treatment, the UK’s national test directories need to be expanded. Sadly, many people with brain cancer were let down by the last Conservative Government, who broke their promise on a 10-year cancer plan, which would have made a real difference to patients. The national cancer plan will hopefully be an opportunity to address meaningfully many of these issues, including patchy data collection and shortages in the cancer workforce. On that last point, it is worth mentioning that we, NHS staff and patients are still waiting for the long-delayed workforce plan. It was due in the spring, but we will soon be in mid-summer. A workforce plan is so important. We need further investment in the research workforce, with support for clinical and non-clinical career development to build our research capacity. As others have already said today, the development of a proper and improved workforce plan is desperately needed. That is why the Liberal Democrats would start a fellowship programme for US cancer scientists who have seen their funding gutted by Donald Trump. We would waive burdensome fees and bureaucracy for international researchers. Astonishingly, global talent visas for top researchers cost £6,000 per person for a five-year visa. So, a leading scientist has to find £24,000 if they have a partner and two children who they want to bring to the UK with them. That is much more expensive than most of our competitor countries, where the cost is typically £200 or £300 per person. Do we really need to make it so expensive for much-needed research talent to come to the UK? And can the Minister look at this issue? For the sake of patients and their families, I hope that—

    Hansard source
31. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Clive Jones

    Brain Cancer

    I thank my hon. Friend for that very good intervention, which is also very timely as I come to the end of my speech. She is absolutely right that leadership is needed. I have every confidence in this Minister that there will be some leadership, and I think that the large number of MPs in this Chamber today shows that there are many people in this Parliament who want her to succeed and to show the leadership that we need.

    Hansard source
32. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Claire Young

    NHS Dentistry

    I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance) for leading today’s debate. Across my Thornbury and Yate constituency, the lack of dental practices providing NHS services has been particularly acute. As I put it to the Minister last week, less than a third of the adults, and just under half of the children, in my patch have been seen by an NHS dentist in the past two years—both figures are well below the national average. Constituents write to me regularly to express their frustration at the lack of local NHS provision. I have been assured that the NHS does everything to ensure that patients who lose access through privatisation receive adequate treatment elsewhere, but that has not been the experience of many of my constituents. David waited nearly two years for an appointment, only for his practice to go private. His situation deteriorated to the point that he required emergency treatment, which the NHS did provide, but the underlying problem was never fully resolved and he has been advised by his practice to go for private treatment. That is a failure, and not only in the immediate sense. Short-term emergency care does not address the underlying cause. The longer-term cost, whether to the NHS through repeat emergency appointments or to my constituent through lost earnings and private fees, is significantly greater than the cost of timely treatment. This Government have now been in power for two years, but David has seen no improvement in his dental care. I think that speaks for itself. David’s story is one of dozens that I have heard. Another constituent, Doris, was left with an infection for months, only to be told that there is no NHS provision for molar treatment in south Gloucestershire. She, too, had to go private. Members across the House have highlighted the steps that the Government need to take, particularly on the contract, and I want to make two points. First, in response to a written question, the Minister told me that no data is held centrally by the NHS on NHS dental appointments that have been cancelled due to practices converting to private provision. How can we measure progress if we count only those coming in through the front door, not those leaving at the rear? Secondly, rural dental provision has higher operating costs and lower patient density. How can that challenge be reflected in the contract review? Thornbury and Yate is exceptionally poorly served by NHS dentistry. I have written separately to the Minister to request a meeting to review our local situation, and I hope he will take me up on that.

    Hansard source
33. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Christine Jardine

    Brain Cancer

    It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mrs Barker. There are moments that remind us why we are MPs and what we are here to do, and there are people who do the same. Archie Goodburn is one of those people. I met Archie when he was 23. He is an elite athlete—a Commonwealth swimmer for Scotland. However, Archie has an inoperable brain tumour, and through the most unforgivable sequence of events he was being denied access to a drug that clinicians told him could make a difference and ultimately save his life. The drug is called Vorasidenib. It has been successfully trialled in our health board in Lothian and was available in other parts of Scotland, but not for Archie in Edinburgh. Instead, he was told he could have chemo or radiotherapy, both of which have side effects that could affect his cognitive and—terrifyingly for a potential Olympic athlete—physical ability. Archie’s story illustrates what is wrong with our current approach to brain cancer—to its research, treatment and the patients themselves. Archie and his family have done a fantastic job, but they should not have to. The money that was promised for brain cancer research 10 years ago is still not fully disbursed or spent. In the petition there are specific asks to ringfence not just that money, but new money; to have a dedicated full-time brain cancer lead who has personal experience of the disease; and the right to use drugs that are licensed in this country already for other conditions to see if they work for brain tumours. I feel that the Government are open to those suggestions, because when I raised Archie’s case in the Chamber, a Health Minister came to find me in the Tea Room to talk about it. Another stopped me in Portcullis House to ask about it. I know that the will is there, and I ask the Minister that she carry it through.

    Hansard source
34. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Christine Jardine

    Social Media Ban for Under-16s

    I know from my mailbox that today’s statement will be widely welcomed by parents in Edinburgh West who are concerned about the safety of their children and the impact of social media on them, but does the Secretary of State agree that there are societal dangers as well? A lot of children are directed away from neutral sites and towards antisemitic influencers, Holocaust deniers and violent scenes, and there are wider implications. We should be looking at not just the obvious problem, but the less obvious ones.

    Hansard source
35. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Charlotte Cane

    NHS Dentistry

    Almost half of children in Cambridgeshire have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months. That will have many impacts that we can only imagine, but one of them is that one in every eight children in East Cambridgeshire have tooth decay by the time they are five. That should be utterly unacceptable to us all. In short, Ely and East Cambridgeshire is an NHS dental desert. We have heard Labour Members make valiant attempts to blame almost anybody else for this situation, but it was a Labour Government who introduced the new dentist contract in 2006, despite lots of people warning that it would lead to dentists leaving the NHS. Indeed, that is exactly what we have seen: they have left in droves. In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, we have a vacancy rate for NHS general dentists of 24%—almost one in four. Even more frustratingly, I have heard from dentists locally who are willing and able to take on more NHS patients, and have contacted the ICB and asked for the funding to do so, but have been refused that funding. I have constituents who cannot get an NHS dentist appointment, and I have dentists who are willing to give them an NHS dentist appointment, but nobody seems willing to give them the money so that that can happen.

    Hansard source
36. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Charlotte Cane

    NHS Dentistry

    I welcome investment in NHS dentistry, but it is all just playing around at the edges unless and until we change that contract, because it is the contract that is at fault. I understand the Minister said that he would consult on that in the summer. We are already part way through June. Can we please have a date for the consultation, and a commitment to implement changes to the contract so that it is more attractive and we can get dentists back into the NHS? Can we also have a commitment to when we will have a workforce plan for dentistry, so that one in four NHS dentist roles in my area are no longer vacant?

    Hansard source
37. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Charlie Maynard

    State Pensioners: Personal Allowance

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Huq. The Liberal Democrats have said clearly that we think it is both wrong and unfair that the Government have implemented a stealth tax grab that will hit some of the lowest-paid and most vulnerable the hardest, by maintaining a freeze on income tax thresholds that hits ordinary families, people on low incomes and the group we are discussing today: pensioners. An estimated 600,000 people were dragged into paying income tax for the first time this April, while a further 580,000 were pulled into the higher 40p rate. Raising tax thresholds is the best and fairest way to cut taxes. Liberal Democrats would advocate that as a way to reduce income tax for everyone at every stage of life, taking the lowest-paid, including state pensioners, out of income tax altogether when public finances allow. When we were in government, we raised the personal allowance, taking millions of people out of income tax, putting money back into people’s pockets and helping ensure that work and hard-earned state pensions would pay. By contrast, the Conservatives and Labour have frozen it again and again. That has left us in a position in which the state pension is nearly equal to the threshold. The full rate of the new state pension for 2026-27 is £240.30 a week, or £12,547.60 a year, while the standard personal allowance is £12,570 a year. It is an absolutely tiny gap. The Chancellor has said that state pensioners will be exempt from paying income tax. We support that exemption, which is all well and good, but we need the Government to publish more information on how they are going to guarantee it if they continue their policy of freezing the tax threshold. With less than a year to go, people will understandably be worried. They urgently need clarity about which specific process they will have to follow and a cast-iron reassurance that they will not fall through the cracks. Ultimately, stealth tax rises are not only dishonest with voters, but a completely inadequate and ineffective way for the Government to paper over the cracks in their economic plan. There is no better way to get the economy growing than to make everybody feel better off; the best way to balance the books is to grow our economy, and the quickest way to do that is to repair the damage of the terrible Brexit deal by negotiating a new UK-EU customs deal. A better trade deal would be a huge boost to our public finances, and the best and fairest way to end the crisis in the NHS, boost our defence capabilities and look to reduce the unfair tax burden that people have shouldered for the last few years. The Liberal Democrats are clear that everyone deserves a chance to enjoy a decent retirement where they can live comfortably, whether in my Witney constituency or anywhere else in the country. We strongly opposed the Government’s decision to remove the winter fuel payments. We welcomed the Chancellor’s U-turn in that case, restoring payments to pensioners with incomes of £35,000 or less, but we continue to call on the Government to backdate payments to those who lost out and to confirm that the £35,000 threshold will be uprated with inflation each year. We were proud when in government to introduce the triple lock. It was desperately needed after years of the real value of the state pension falling, as was set out very well by the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes). We will always fight to guarantee that pensions keep pace with the cost of living. We want to develop measures to end the gender pension gap in private pensions and ensure that working-age carers can save properly for retirement. We would also like to see improvement to the state pension system by investing in helplines to ensure quicker resolution of underpayments, and an end to the scandal of lost top-up payments through an overhaul of the processing system and provision of proper receipts. In summary, I urge the Government once again to reconsider the freeze on tax thresholds, which has dragged millions of people into paying more tax at a time when cost of living pressures are hitting people at all stages of life really hard. Raising the thresholds would ensure that pensioners, as well as working-age households, got a fairer deal. The Government should stop using stealth tax grabs to paper over the bigger issues in the economy and boost trade to get the economy moving, making everyone feel better off. Finally, I ask the Minister to spell out how he will ensure that people on the state pension are not dragged into paying income tax on it, so that we can give peace of mind to older people on low incomes.

    Hansard source
38. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Charlie Maynard

    Brain Cancer

    It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. I thank the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Paul Davies) for speaking on behalf of the petitioners, and I thank the petitioners, who are in the Public Gallery today, for all the work they have done. A particular shout out goes to Sarah—I am thinking of Jess. The issue is not rare. In my constituency alone, Claire in Appleton lost her husband, William, while Stevie in Appleton lost her dad Bubba a month ago tomorrow. In Farmoor, Cumnor and Besselsleigh, three people are fighting for their lives, including my sister, Georgie. Her courage and determination has been fantastic. I want to focus on a few things. First, I want to advocate for flash frozen tissue nationally, on a mandatory basis. The genetic code in those tumours is the key to solving that cancer and fighting it. At the moment, we are taking a lot of those tumours out and putting them in the bin. That is killing people. If we had a mandatory focus on that at scale, it would be more possible economically, in addition to our moral duty to keep everybody alive for much longer. We should try to push towards that, so that we have whole-genome sequencing of those tumours. That is key to making the UK a leader, and it would drive a lot of research funds into the UK. I ask the Minister to consider that. I have another request for the Minister. There is no single accountable lead for brain cancer now. Thanks to the hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur), the Rare Cancers Act 2026 introduced a lead, which is equivalent to 0.1 full-time employee. The national cancer plan has put £5,000 towards a lead. Getting a rare cancer lead who is full time and fully accountable would be a great help.

    Hansard source
39. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Charlie Maynard

    Brain Cancer

    Will the Minister give way?

    Hansard source
40. 15 Jun 2026·Parliament·Lib Dem·Charlie Maynard

    Brain Cancer

    On the fully accountable lead, there are two positions: one has £5,000 in funding and one is 0.1 of a full-time employee. Will the Minister commit to one person who is fully funded and fully accountable, please?

    Hansard source