Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, whether he has made an estimate of the number of dental practices that will close as a result of the proposed increase in the rate of employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget 2024, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.
The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase in the rate of employer National Insurance contributions on (a) trends in the level of recruitment and (b) the provision of care in dentistry.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget 2024, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.
The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in employers' National Insurance contributions on Thames Water's (a) financial viability and (b) infrastructure investment plan.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
To repair public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Government has been clear that we need to take difficult decisions to deliver long-term stability and growth. Stabilising the public finances is the only way to create long-term stability in which businesses can thrive
Defra will not make any assessment of the potential impact of changes in employers' National Insurance contributions for an individual company.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of DVLA's programme of education of updates to the Highway Code for licence holders.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) promote changes to The Highway Code on the Government's flagship road safety campaign THINK! and its social media channels and via partner organisations.
Results from the most recent campaign activity in August 2023 include:
Awareness: The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the Highway Code changes in September 2023 was at 70% among all road users (82% amongst drivers), with 86% of road users having heard of the changes by September 2023.
Understanding: In September 2023 86% of drivers correctly identified that you should leave at least 1.5 metres of space when passing cyclists. Pedestrian priority at junctions was correctly identified by 77% of drivers.
Empathy: Drivers agreeing that it is their responsibility to respect and give space to vulnerable road users remains consistently high and was at 93% in September 2023.
Action: In September 2023 81% of drivers claim to leave a gap of 1.5 metres when passing a cyclist all or most of the time. 79% of drivers claim to pass horse riders and horse drawn vehicles with at least 2 metres distance and at under 10mph all or most of the time. Of the respondents that recognised the 30 second hero assets from Phase 3, nine in ten (90%) said they had done something as a result.
DfT and DVSA continue to monitor attitudes and behaviours towards vulnerable road users as part of our ongoing campaign planning cycle.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she ask the Office of Road and Rail to undertake enforcement action against National Highways over ongoing disruption in the (a) Painshill roundabout and (b) local area due to the M25/A3 works.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the Infrastructure Act 2015, it is for ORR to determine whether National Highways is compliant with its directions and guidance and the road investment strategy (RIS) issued by government, and whether to take enforcement action.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on support for research into the (a) care and (b) treatment for people with brain tumours.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer. The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend, at over £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority.
In September 2024 we announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-opportunities-novel-brain-tumour-research-launched
In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the NIHR spent over £11.3 million on research projects focussed on brain tumours. In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, including facilities, services, and the research workforce, further allows us to leverage research funding from other donors and organisations. These investments are estimated to be £31.5 million between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period.
Brain tumour research will continue to be a priority into the future, and the Department, through the NIHR, will continue to fund high-quality science to expand lifesaving and life-improving research.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, what discussions he has had with health and care charities on the potential impact of increased National Insurance contributions on their ability to (a) support and (b) provide NHS care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No discussions have taken place with health and care charities on the potential impact of increased National Insurance contributions on their ability to support and provide National Health Service care.
To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. On the impact on charities in particular, our tax regime for charities, including exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the potential merits of reviewing guidance for the (a) diagnosis, (b) care and (c) treatment of brain tumours.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Officials in the Department regularly discuss a range of issues with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including proposals to review or update existing guidelines. NICE keeps its published guidelines under surveillance and decisions on whether they should be updated in light of new evidence taken independently by NICE’s prioritisation board. NICE currently has no plans to update its guideline on “brain tumours (primary) and brain metastases in over 16s”.
We are aware of Siobhain McDonagh's campaign, in memory of the late Baroness McDonagh, and are committed to working together to explore options.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what professional accreditations will new mental health practitioners employed in schools be required to hold.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are currently working with colleagues at the Department for Education and NHS England to consider the options.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with school leaders on the effectiveness of individual healthcare plans in schools for children with (a) epilepsy, (b) asthma, (c) a history of anaphylaxis, (d) severe allegories and (e) type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, recommends the use of individual healthcare plans as good practice. They can help schools support pupils with medical conditions, providing clarity about what needs to be done, when and by whom. The school, healthcare professionals and parents should agree, based on evidence, when a healthcare plan would be appropriate. ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf.
The department will keep the statutory guidance under review as we take forward the commitment to delivering an inclusive mainstream system.
The department engages closely with school leaders and their representative organisations on a wide range of issues, including supporting pupils with medical conditions.