Written Statements

Monday 6th January 2025 Written Statements

Monday 6 January 2025

Contingency Fund Advance: Annington Homes

Monday 6th January 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)]

Further to my statement HCWS323 on 17 December 2024 on developments in military housing, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a new cash requirement to fund the transaction to purchase 36,347 properties from Annington Property Ltd.

The deal represents a decisive break with the failed approach of the past and reverses a privatisation that currently costs the MOD £230 million a year in rent. It offers excellent value for money, as well as opening up the “once in a generation” opportunity for a new military housing strategy which will provide service families with a better standard of accommodation while contributing to wider Government objectives on house building and growth.

The agreed purchase price is nearly £6 billion but eliminating the liabilities associated with the leases creates budgetary headroom to partially fund this purchase, meaning that the public expenditure impact of this measure, and the impact on public sector net debt, is confined to £1.7 billion. The ONS has agreed this fiscal impact approach. Funding for the deal is being provided by HMT. The Treasury scored additional funding to the reserve at autumn Budget for this purpose.

Parliamentary approval for additional capital of £1,698,300,000 for this new expenditure and additional cash of £4,296,200,000 will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the MOD. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £5,994,500,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

This is funding for a one-off financial transaction, and therefore does not reflect the MOD’s cash management position.

[HCWS350]

Neonicotinoid Pesticides

Monday 6th January 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

The UK Government are setting out their plans to deliver their commitment to end the use in England of toxic neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten vital pollinators.

Bees and other insects are critical pollinators. They play a key role in food production, with the economic benefits of pollination to crop production in the UK estimated at £500 million each year. Pollinators also support the wider environment and the beauty of our rural and urban spaces. Pollinators face many pressures —including loss of habitat, pests and pathogens and climate change—and their numbers and diversity have declined as a result. It is our responsibility to act now to reverse this trend.

One of the pressures on pollinators is the use of certain pesticides. Three specific neonicotinoid pesticides —clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam—have already been removed from general use because of evidence that their use can harm pollinators. Even at doses that are not directly fatal to bees they can cause cognitive problems, impacting foraging abilities and the productivity of colonies.

Despite this, the last Government continued to allow the use of a neonicotinoid (thiamethoxam) seed treatment on sugar beet crops in England under emergency authorisation arrangements. Emergency authorisations are temporary measures intended to protect crops in exceptional circumstances. We do not consider that they should be used to perpetuate the use of neonicotinoids that can have a long-term effect on biodiversity.

We will break free from this cycle. We will identify and assess potential changes to legislation that would stop the use of emergency authorisations for products containing clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam.

We will also review and update the approach to decisions on applications for emergency authorisations in England. The revised approach will be set out in published guidance which will clearly state how future decisions on emergency authorisation will take full account of the importance of pollinators and of the risks they may face if emergency authorisation is granted.

These commitments are made by the UK Government in respect of the position in England only, because pesticide policy and regulation is devolved. A common approach to delivering on this issue is, however, highly desirable. The UK Government will therefore look to work with the devolved Governments in Northern Ireland—recognising the provisions of the Windsor framework—Scotland and Wales to seek a consistent way forward across the UK.

These measures come ahead of the publication of a new UK national action plan (NAP), which will set how pesticides can be used sustainably. The Government are committed to supporting farmers to protect their crops in more sustainable ways. This includes funding for research into precision breeding for virus-resistant varieties of sugar beet.

The plans are outlined in more detail in a document entitled “A new approach to the use of certain neonicotinoids on crops grown in England” which the Government are placing today in the Libraries of both Houses. The document is also available on www.gov.uk.

[HCWS352]

General Practice: Investment and Reform Package 2025-26

Monday 6th January 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

General practice is the cornerstone of our national health service, providing essential care to communities day in, day out, managing pressures across the healthcare system, and playing a pivotal role in delivering care closer to home.

On Friday 20 December 2024, I wrote to general practices to update them on proposals for the GP contract for 2025-26. I was pleased to confirm that general practice will receive a funding uplift of £889 million in 2025-26, representing a 7.2% cash growth and estimated real terms growth of 4.8%. This marks the largest funding uplift for general practice since the start of the five- year framework and demonstrates this Government’s commitment to delivering a neighbourhood health service—one of our key manifesto pledges.

I fully recognise the financial pressures general practice has faced in recent years. Despite the challenging fiscal backdrop this Government inherited, we have made the necessary decision to ensure additional resources are allocated to primary care. This uplift to general practice reflects this Government’s commitment to bring back the family doctor, end the 8 am scramble and put general practice at the heart of the neighbourhood health service. It will support critical reforms which will make it easier for patients to get an appointment with the same doctor—particularly those with long- term conditions—and help us shift from treatment to prevention, by going harder on tackling the biggest killers. I also wanted to take the opportunity to reassure newly qualified GPs employed through the ARRS scheme, announced last year, that they will continue to be supported throughout 2025-26 to sustain care delivery.

General practice is central to our plans for health service reform with the patient at the centre. This funding uplift represents a vital step towards the “left shift” in care, ensuring that primary and community care receive a greater share of NHS funding and are able to deliver more care closer to home. There are already hundreds more full-time GPs in post than when the Government took office, reflecting the progress made in strengthening the workforce and meaningful progress towards improving access and outcomes for all.

Alongside the announcement of the funding uplift, the consultation with the General Practitioners Committee in England (GPC England) of the British Medical Association (BMA) on the 2025-26 GP contract began in December. This consultation provides a forum to discuss important proposed changes aimed at improving patient care and experience, by reducing inefficiencies, streamlining processes, and enabling general practice to deliver improved patient outcomes. The final reforms will be announced following the conclusion of the consultation in 2025, and I will keep the House updated.

These actions reflect our commitment to addressing the immediate pressures facing general practice while also laying the foundations for long-term reform. Through increased investment and meaningful changes, we expect GPs to deliver better access, improved continuity of care, and strengthened support for elective recovery.

[HCWS351]

Community Ownership Fund Round 4

Monday 6th January 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Alex Norris)]

The English devolution White Paper set out the Government’s commitment to work in partnership with communities, to transfer power out of Westminster and put local decisions back in the hands of the people affected by them. The loss in recent years of shared community forums, places and institutions—whether it be local news outlets, community cafés, youth clubs, pubs, historic buildings, libraries or sport facilities—has eroded a sense of local civic pride and contributed to a feeling of decline in neighbourhoods and high streets. The Government’s approach to community empowerment will focus on putting people in control of these important assets. We will create new opportunities for communities to have a say in the future of their area and play a part in improving it, while acknowledging that this means nothing if people are not supported to contribute to this decision-making.

We recognise that community groups play a crucial role in promoting social cohesion and providing services which improve health and wellbeing, reduce anti-social behaviour, protect nature and offer support to groups in need. That is why, despite the difficult financial circumstances that we have inherited from the previous Government, we have taken the decision to prioritise funding for community ownership. On 23 December 2024, during the Christmas recess, we announced the outcome of round 4 of the community ownership fund (COF), with 85 projects from across the UK receiving £36.2 million in funding. This represents the largest ever COF announcement to date.

Projects such as Elmfield Hall in Lancashire, St Dunstan’s House in Glastonbury, Caerphilly rugby football club in Wales and the Mourne mountain rescue base and education centre in Northern Ireland, have been awarded the crucial funding that will keep them in the hands of the communities they serve.

A total of £25.5 million has been awarded to 57 projects in England, £5 million has been awarded to 11 projects in Scotland, £2.1 million has been awarded to seven projects in Wales and £3.7 million has been awarded to 10 projects in Northern Ireland.

The community ownership fund is now closed. There will be no further application windows on the COF programme. We have taken this difficult decision due to the challenging inheritance left by the previous Government.

While we are closing the community ownership fund, this Government remain committed to the communities’ sector and community empowerment. We will deliver on the manifesto commitment to replace the community “right to bid” with a strengthened “right to buy” assets of community value, creating a more robust pathway to community asset ownership. And we will seek to support high streets by strengthening business improvement districts, which have helped to improve town and city centres across the United Kingdom for 20 years, while ensuring they operate to high standards and are accountable to their communities.

We have also implemented new high street rental auction regulations, providing local communities and businesses with a right to rent premises that have long sat vacant, casting a cloud over the local area. The power will help to provide new shops and community spaces, supporting businesses and communities to access the high street and create vibrant, bustling spaces they can be proud of.

We encourage any community groups seeking funding to preserve community assets, including those who may have submitted an expression of interest (EOI) in the community ownership fund but did not submit a full application, to continue to use the guidance and tools available through our development support provider on the MyCommunity site. These tools have been designed to help any organisation seeking to save an asset that is important to them and their local community and will remain available beyond the COF programme. The development support provider may also be able to help to suggest alternative sources of funding that organisations could look to secure.

Building on plans outlined in the English devolution White Paper, there will be further announcements relating to communities in the new year, including on the community ownership of assets.

[HCWS353]

Zero Emission Vehicle Transition: 2030 Phase-out of New Petrol and Diesel Cars

Monday 6th January 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Heidi Alexander)]

Government have commenced a consultation on phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, driving forward the commitment made in our manifesto, supporting delivery of both our clean energy mission and our economic growth mission.

The previous Government caused significant harm to the industry by moving goalposts on phase-out dates, creating doubt in the minds of investors and boardrooms and putting at risk the billions of pounds of committed investment in the automotive sector and in the charge point sector. Our plans will restore clarity for manufacturers, provide renewed confidence for charging infrastructure investors and give confidence to consumers considering making the switch. No new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030. All new cars and vans will need to be 100% zero emission by 2035.

The need to transition away from a reliance on fossil fuels has never been clearer, and the transition to zero emission vehicles will play a critical role in quickly reducing carbon emissions and improving our energy security. It is not just an environmental necessity but an opportunity for the UK to lead in cutting-edge technologies, representing a significant industrial opportunity for the UK. This shift promises cleaner air and quieter streets, enhancing quality of life in our communities. British people and businesses are already embracing electric vehicles because they are cheaper to run, great to drive and simpler to maintain.

This consultation marks a new phase of collaboration between the Government and the automotive and charging sectors as we support and work together with industry to grasp the opportunities of this ambitious and transformative shift—ensuring the prosperity and security of our nation, with higher growth, better jobs, and cheaper bills. This transformation is a challenge we can meet by working together.

The consultation is an opportunity to consider stakeholders’ preferences on technology choices and the types of vehicles permitted between 2030 and 2035 alongside ZEVs. It commits to maintaining the trajectories in the ZEV mandate, while considering how the current arrangements and flexibilities are working, and what steps can be taken to support domestic manufacturing, and cement the UK’s position as one of the major European markets for ZEVs.

In order to support the transition, we need to continue to accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure right across the country, building on significant deployment to date. I have therefore also announced a broad package of measures that will make charging infrastructure quicker and easier to install, supporting £6 billion of private investment out to 2030. This includes simplifying planning rules, publishing our review to speed up grid connections, and continuing to provide resource funding for local councils up and down the country.

These new policies build on over £2.3 billion of Government support to UK manufacturers and consumers to transition to zero emission vehicles.

We will work in partnership with the sector to harness the opportunity this transition represents to support thriving automotive and charging sectors, achieve our clean energy superpower mission, and build a prosperous, sustainable future.

[HCWS349]