Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what form of impact assessment on pharmacies was carried out prior to changing the payment claim window for pharmacy first services from 3 months to five days.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what number of bonus payments to community pharmacies for reaching the 20 and 30 target for consultations were paid in (a) April, (b) May and (b) June 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of community pharmacies reaching the threshold for Pharmacy First bonus payments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what number of pharmacy first consultations have been recorded for (a) April , (b) May and (c) June 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce incidences of freight crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We fully recognise the serious and growing threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy. This Government is determined to crack down on it. The incidences of freight crime, where criminals rip the sides of lorries and take the goods inside, is frightening for those dedicated HGV drivers across the UK, and the perception this crime is low risk and high reward is unacceptable.
There are strong links between freight crime and serious organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.
This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms. We work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.
We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and other invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has met with the Chief Executive of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing to discuss the potential impact of gaps in community nursing services on levels of patient safety.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We welcome the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing’s (QICN’s) continued engagement in informing planning and solutions to address capacity gaps, following our 10 Year Workforce Plan call for evidence. The Minister of State for Health is planning to meet the QICN.
The Government recognises the essential role of district nurses and wider community nursing teams in delivering high-quality care closer to home, preventing avoidable hospital admissions, and supporting people to live well in their communities. We are committed to strengthening the community nursing workforce and ensuring services are equipped to meet rising demand and increasing clinical complexity.
The Government is working with NHS England and professional organisations, including the QICN and the Royal College of Nursing, as we implement the ambition of the 10-year plan to deliver more care outside hospital and build neighbourhood teams. The 10 Year Workforce Plan and the Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery will set out how we will build the multi-professional teams we need to deliver that ambition and ensure we have the workforce with the right skills to meet population need.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to requirements for EPC certificates on properties used as short term holiday lets.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The recent consultation on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector sought views on whether short-term lets should be included in the scope of our proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030, to help ensure a consistent standard across all private rented properties.
No final decisions have been made, and the government has proposed to maintain a range of exemptions available to landlords to ensure that required investment is fair and proportionate. Government remains committed to taking an evidence-based approach and will consider the balance between supporting tourism and reaching our net zero goals.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish the findings of the consultation on Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The consultation on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector closed on 2nd May and a government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department has taken with the Secretary of State for Defence to help tackle LGBTQ+ discrimination in the armed forces.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Government is committed to supporting LGBT personnel in the Armed Forces, including through engagement with our LGBT networks, same-sex marriages in military chapels and involvement with major Pride events.
We are also implementing all 49 of Lord Etherton’s recommendations to right the historic wrong of LGBT people being banned from service in the armed forces.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase skills and training opportunities for HGV drivers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 26 November to question 92492.