Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which body declared the land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road surplus to NHS requirements; on what date that decision was made; whether a Property Vacation Notice was completed; on what date NHS Property Services was instructed to market the land; whether the land was placed on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land; and whether any public sector body expressed an interest in acquiring it.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled Requesting transfers of NHS property, published on 29 January 2026, whether the land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road was categorised as (a) core, (b) flex and (c) tail estate; whether it was included in the list of NHS Property Services-owned properties shared with the relevant integrated care board by 31 March 2026; whether NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust proposed its (i) transfer and (ii) recategorisation; and what the outcome of any such proposal was.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will ask NHS Property Services not to exchange contracts for the sale of the land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road until (a) the clinical needs assessment and options appraisal supporting the disposal have been published, (b) the processes for considering transfer to a local NHS trust and acquisition by another public sector body have been completed and their outcomes published and (c) NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board has published a local reinvestment plan for the sale proceeds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board has identified the estate priority to which the locally retained share of the proceeds from the sale of the land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road will be allocated; whether funding for the repair, redevelopment and reopening of Zachary Merton Hospital has been assessed for that purpose; and if she will publish the assessment and timetable for allocating those proceeds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department and NHS England hold on money (a) raised, (b) donated, (c) transferred and (d) earmarked for replacement healthcare provision following the closure of Littlehampton Hospital, including the amount concerned, the bodies by which it was held, the purposes for which it was used, and any remaining balance; and if she will ask NHS England to publish a complete audit trail, including relevant successor records held by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Surrey and Sussex Integrated Care Board.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records NHS Property Services holds of consultation and engagement concerning the disposal of the land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road with (a) the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, (b) Littlehampton Town Council, (c) Arun District Council, (d) West Sussex County Council, (e) Healthwatch West Sussex and (f) local residents; and on what date each was first informed that the land would be marketed for sale.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate NHS Property Services has made of (a) the gross receipt, (b) transaction and other disposal costs, (c) the net receipt, (d) the amount to be returned to the local health economy and (e) the amount to be pooled nationally from the sale of the land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road; and if it will publish the final financial breakdown following completion of the sale.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The land adjoining Littlehampton Health Centre at Fitzalan Road has been vacant since the former Littlehampton Hospital closed in 2003 and it was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013.
In August 2024, NHS Property Services wrote to the integrated care board (ICB) setting out plans for the sale of the land and inviting discussion on reinvestment. The ICB engaged local National Health Service providers, including primary care, through its routine estates working groups, and found no provider with both a clinical requirement for the site and the capital needed to develop it. On 11 November 2024, the ICB confirmed to NHS Property Services that the land was surplus to NHS operational requirements, in its role as the local clinical commissioner, and this position was reconfirmed by the ICB in December 2025. The land was entered on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land on 6 November 2024, and no public sector body expressed an interest during the 40-working-day circulation period, which ended on 6 January 2025. A Property Vacation Notice was not completed, as this is not a requirement for land. NHS Property Services has confirmed that the land is classified as tail estate and is therefore not eligible for transfer under the Department’s Asset Transfer Policy.
Property agents were appointed in January 2026, and the site was marketed for sale from May 2026. NHS Property Services is now in early-stage discussions with an interested party and is working to agree heads of terms, although no offer has yet been accepted, and the final sale value will not be known until a sale completes.
If the sale completes, NHS Property Services has committed to reinvest 100 per cent of the net proceeds in the local area, including funding investment in Littlehampton Health Centre, in line with the ICB's priorities. Zachary Merton Hospital has been managed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust since August 2023, and any capital investment in that building would be a matter for the trust and the ICB through NHS capital planning routes. NHS Property Services and the ICB are not aware of, and do not hold, any money previously raised or donated for replacement healthcare provision in Littlehampton.
Decisions on whether NHS land is surplus to requirements are a matter for the local NHS system, in particular the ICB in its role as clinical commissioner, rather than for the Department. Detailed responses on the matters raised by the Hon Member have already been provided to her directly by NHS Property Services, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and the ICB, who have committed to keep her and the local community updated as the sale process and reinvestment plans progress. Where possible any additional documents the MP has requested will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of delayed identification of and intervention for selective mutism on children’s and young people’s (a) school attendance, (b) educational attainment, (c) participation in further education or training and (d) likelihood of becoming not in education, employment or training; what evidence informed that assessment; and whether she will commission longitudinal research where the evidence is insufficient.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Effective early identification and intervention are critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).
Through our programme of special educational needs and disabilities reform, we are working to strengthen earlier identification of need and improve access to support for children and young people with SEN. This includes the development of National Inclusion Standards to support mainstream settings to identify and meet children and young people's needs as early as possible.
As part of these reforms, the department is working in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver new government-backed research on SEN identification and support. This research will help strengthen the evidence base on early identification, strengths and needs assessment, and effective support for children and young people with SEN, with the aim of developing and rolling out approaches that can be integrated into education settings by 2028.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data the Department holds on testing of suspected illicit or non-compliant (a) cigarettes, (b) vaping products, (c) heated tobacco products, and (d) nicotine pouches in each of the last three years; what proportion of samples tested contained prohibited substances, nicotine concentrations above applicable legal limits, or other substances assessed as presenting a health risk; and whether those data are available for (i) West Sussex and (ii) Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), tobacco products and nicotine vapes must be notified with specified information, including test data, before they are placed on the United Kingdom market. Non-nicotine vapes and nicotine pouches are not currently subject to equivalent notification requirements and are regulated under general consumer product safety legislation.
TRPR also requires the independent testing of cigarette emissions. The Department therefore commissions independent laboratory testing of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide emissions to assess compliance with the statutory maximum limits of 10 milligrams of tar, 1 milligram of nicotine, and 10 milligrams of carbon monoxide per cigarette. Based on the testing reports, one cigarette product was identified as exceeding the applicable emissions limits in 2023. Subsequent survey reports for 2024, 2025, and 2026 to date, did not identify any products exceeding those limits.
TRPR is enforced by local authority Trading Standards. As part of their regulatory compliance work, Trading Standards may undertake local testing of products. The Department does not collect this information centrally nor has available data for West Sussex or the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.
The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 provides powers to establish a new registration scheme for tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products, as well as new product testing requirements, to improve product safety and strengthen enforcement. The Department ran a call for evidence at the end of last year inviting feedback on the implementation of the registration scheme. We are carefully considering the feedback gathered and will consult on our proposals in due course.