Adrian Ramsay

Yes, because digital inclusion is a priority for the Government and we have already set up the Digital Inclusion and Skills Unit (DISU) to address it.

Digital inclusion is a priority for Government. It means ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to engage in our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances. We understand, however, that some people will remain offline by choice, and that alternative, accessible pathways to access public services need to be readily available and advertised. We are working across government departments to develop our approach on tackling digital exclusion, including colleagues at DHSC and NHS England.

We have not done so as yet, but digital inclusion is a priority for the Government and we understand that some people will remain offline by choice, so alternative, accessible pathways need to be readily available and advertised. We are developing our approach on digital inclusion and will be working closely with the third sector, industry and local authorities.

Defra regularly meets with both British Sugar and the National Farmers Union to discuss a range of topics such as crop development, harvest, trade and pest and disease pressures and progress in research and stewardship programmes.

All applications for emergency authorisation are assessed according to the legal requirements and on the basis of the evidence.

We recognise the findings of the Global Biodiversity Framework Tracker Report and that more needs to be done on nature recovery.

Our submission to the CBD commits the UK to achieving each of the 23 global targets at home. They are underpinned by a set of specific commitments and policies to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. By submitting our national targets on time, we have ensured the UK’s commitments can be included in the global analysis to be carried out at COP16. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, detailing further delivery plans and future ambitions.

We set out our approach to implementing the Framework domestically in our Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). On 30 July, we announced a rapid review of the EIP to develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment, helping us meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets. It will focus on cleaning up our waterways, reducing waste across the economy, planting millions more trees, improving air quality, and halting the decline in species by 2030.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.

The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue we will want to fully consider in due course.

Local authorities have a range of powers to enforce environmental protection laws, including through the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016 and the Environmental Protection Act, 1990.

The Environment Agency, through the Environment Act 1995, has a range of powers to enforce environmental protection laws. Its principal aim is to protect and enhance the environment.

The Government committed in its manifesto to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created.

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intends to attend the 16^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Full details about the Ministerial and official delegation will be made available in due course.

We are unable to provide Pension Credit average waiting times for decisions separately for offline and digital claims. Average Actual Clearance Times are measured weekly. The table below shows Average Actual Clearance Times (AACT) from the end of week commencing 2nd September to the end of week commencing 21st October, in working days.

DWP currently works to a planned timescale of 50 working days to clear Pension Credit claims.

Please note.

• The data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
• These figures will not align to previous PQ responses due to retrospective updates as the data is sourced from live systems.

The Royal College of Physicians is an independent organisation, and they have responded to the review by The Kings Fund that they commissioned, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/news-and-media/news-and-opinion/rcp-responds-to-the-king-s-fund-learning-review/

The legislation to introduce statutory regulation for Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) was subject to debate in the Scottish Parliament and in both Houses of Parliament earlier this year. Regulation of PAs and AAs by the General Medical Council (GMC) will begin in December 2024. The GMC will set standards of practice, education, and training, and operate fitness-to-practice procedures to ensure that PAs and AAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. Previous plans did not go far enough and we are looking at what changes we can introduce. The Government has set out its ambition to expand the role of pharmacies and to better utilise the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.

Departmental officials are working at pace to conclude the consultation on the community pharmacy contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 as quickly as possible. We are unable to provide further details until the consultation with the Community Pharmacy England is concluded. The outcome will be published and communicated to all contractors at that time.

Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as in any other provider market. The Department continues to monitor patient access to all pharmaceutical services closely. Despite pharmacy closures in recent years, access remains good and four in five people in England live within in a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy, and this proportion is higher in the most deprived areas. Patients can also choose to access medicines and services through any of the nearly 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines free of charge to patients.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. Previous plans did not go far enough and we are looking at what changes we can introduce. The Government has set out its ambition to expand the role of pharmacies and to better utilise the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.

Departmental officials are working at pace to conclude the consultation on the community pharmacy contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 as quickly as possible. We are unable to provide further details until the consultation with the Community Pharmacy England is concluded. The outcome will be published and communicated to all contractors at that time.

Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as in any other provider market. The Department continues to monitor patient access to all pharmaceutical services closely. Despite pharmacy closures in recent years, access remains good and four in five people in England live within in a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy, and this proportion is higher in the most deprived areas. Patients can also choose to access medicines and services through any of the nearly 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines free of charge to patients.

Dental Statistics - England 2023-24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, which includes the Waveney Valley constituency, shows that 36% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 12 months, compared to 40% in England, and that 48% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months, compared to 56% in England.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, the Government will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. We are continuing to work with the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to deliver our shared ambition to improve access to treatments for NHS dental patients.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services in their areas, including those provided by National Health Service trusts and the independent sector.

ICBs are responsible for managing their contracts with local providers, which may include suitably qualified and equipped optometrists, and ensuring that all services are provided in line with those contracts.

NHS England produced cataract guidance in 2022, which reminded providers about their duty of care to patients undergoing eye surgery, including the requirements for post-operative care.

As set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 2 September, this Government assesses that Israel must and should do more to ensure that life-saving food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has raised repeatedly with Israeli leaders the need for a rapid increase of aid into Gaza, including during his joint visit with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné in August. I also raised this concern directly with the Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom during our meeting on 24 July. The UK does not operate independent trucking routes into Gaza, as this is more effectively managed by the UN and our other delivery partners. Truck numbers are a poor metric of humanitarian delivery, but UN figures show a daily average of 97 trucks (both humanitarian and commercial) entered Gaza in September, far below the 500 daily before 7 October 2023.