Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government which profession has primary responsibility for providing initial point of contact care for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems, and whether physician associates are the appropriate profession for this work.

Answered by Lord Markham

While general practice (GP) remains at the heart of primary care, a wide range of clinicians are well suited to supporting patients in GP, as part of multi-disciplinary teams. This includes Physician Associates (PAs), who work alongside GPs and the wider practice teams, to provide care. PAs are not substitutes for GPs or doctors in training, rather they are specifically trained to work collaboratively with doctors and others. PAs work within a defined scope of practice and limits of competence. NHS England has provided recent guidance on the use of PAs in GP teams.

As set out in the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service, where their named GP supervisor is satisfied that adequate supervision, supporting governance and systems are in place, PAs can provide first point of contact care for patients presenting with undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems. Underpinning this is the supervising GP’s confidence in the PA’s competence, based on the knowledge and skills gained through their training and development.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the number of GPs currently seeking, yet unable to obtain, employment.

Answered by Lord Markham

There is no centrally held data on the number of general practice vacancies.

The Government remains committed to growing the number of doctors working in general practice. NHS England has made available a number of recruitment schemes, including the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme and the Return to Practice Programme.

The headcount of doctors working in general practice in March 2024 was 4,282 more, including 2,709 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors, than in March 2019.

The latest available data, as of March 2024, shows that the headcount of doctors in general practice in England was 47,173, including 37,235 FTE doctors, of whom 37,399 (27,574 FTE) were fully qualified general practioners.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of GPs now seeking and unable to obtain employment.

Answered by Lord Markham

There is no centrally held data on the number of general practice vacancies.

The Government remains committed to growing the number of doctors working in general practice. NHS England has made available a number of recruitment schemes, including the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme and the Return to Practice Programme.

The headcount of doctors working in general practice in March 2024 was 4,282 more, including 2,709 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors, than in March 2019.

The latest available data, as of March 2024, shows that the headcount of doctors in general practice in England was 47,173, including 37,235 FTE doctors, of whom 37,399 (27,574 FTE) were fully qualified general practioners.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress in ensuring immigrants from Hong Kong achieve employment commensurate with their education and skills; and what steps they are taking to assist new and recent arrivals to achieve this.

Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

Since April 2021, DLUHC's Hong Kong British National (Overseas) [BN(O)] Welcome Programme has provided universal and targeted support. For the financial year (FY) 23/24, this included funding for VCSE organisations at both a national and regional level to deliver employability support.

In 2024/25, we continue to fund local authorities across England to provide English language support, alongside a network of Welcome Hubs across the UK.

Recent research has shown that almost half of employed BN(O)s, of all levels of skill and qualifications, report that their job does not match their skills and experience. To address this need, further VCSE grant funding is being provided in FY 24/25, for targeted employability support in England only. The deadline for grant applications was the 28 April and the successful organisation will be announced shortly.

BN(O) visa holders can also contact their local Hong Kong BN(O) Welcome Hub (delivered by Strategic Migration Partnerships) which DLUHC funds for further information on employability support offered locally.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support (1) climate-resilient agricultural practices, and (2) sustainable livelihoods, in Somalia to enhance food production and improve resilience to climate change.

Answered by Lord Benyon

The UK is taking steps to promote resilience to climate change in Somalia. Last year, the Prime Minister announced up to £100 million to build resilience to climate shocks and strengthen food security for the most vulnerable including support for climate adaptive agricultural practices. We are also building the resilience of marginalised households and businesses in the agricultural and financial sectors in Somalia. In addition we have supported Somalia's membership of the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance at COP28 as an anchor donor. UK aid is making a difference. Through the Somaliland Development Fund we are supporting sustainable land management and agricultural production.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect workers from contracting silicosis, in particular from the installation of engineered stone countertops.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to inspect industries associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and to respond to concerns about risk management reported to HSE.

Adequate control measures for protecting workers from the risks of exposure to RCS are legally required under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), including water suppression, equipment enclosure, extraction and personal protective equipment, such as respirator masks. COSHH also requires workers to be trained to effectively implement such controls.

HSE works proactively with key stakeholders and trade associations in the construction and manufacturing industries and is engaging with occupational clinicians, to understand any insights for enhancing future interventions aimed at RCS controls.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Chinese students in UK universities, particularly those who are linked to China's military, are properly vetted and do not pose a threat to activists and people from Hong Kong based in UK universities who are campaigning against the actions of China and the Chinese Communist Party.

Answered by Baroness Barran

Higher education (HE) in the UK is recognised as world class and attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for UK universities. However, the government takes seriously any concerns about overseas interference in the UK’s HE sector. The department continually assesses potential threats, and takes the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously.

Any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. The National Security Act (2023) brings together vital new measures to protect the UK’s national security. The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) has been created to tackle covert influence in the UK.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure that there is a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the declaration of incompatibility handed down by the High Court on 14 May, and to bring certain provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, into compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights; and whether they will do so before the end of the current session of parliament.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We are disappointed that the High Court has come to the decision it has. As with all decisions of this nature, we will now carefully consider the judgment and the options available to us going forward.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve recycling infrastructure and technologies to enable the increased recovery of critical minerals and other materials.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

Defra is committed to delivering a more sustainable future for the UK and world. Supporting this we announced in February the world’s first United Nations-backed International Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management in the Circular Economy. The centre will deliver solutions that will promote recycling and Circular Economy solutions across a range of important minerals and metals, including Critical Minerals. In partnership with national and international partners the centre will deliver environmentally sustainable primary extraction of Critical Minerals and map the flow of these critical and priority minerals across their complete life cycle, from extraction to reuse, recovery to disposal.

Further, Government recently consulted on proposals to reform the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations and will consult in the summer on reforms to the Batteries Regulations, with the intention in both cases of improving the collection and treatment of waste products and materials at end-of-life.

Found: Claudia Webbe; 13 July 2021 Vol.699 Col.99WH, per Rachel Hopkins; 17 March 2022 Vol.820 Col.73GC, per Baroness