Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether hospice funding will be included in his Department's 10-year plan for health and care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person, as well as their families and carers, receives high-quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life.
I recently met NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care in England. We will consider next steps on palliative and end of life care, including hospice funding, in the coming months.
We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, including those in the hospice sector, as we develop the plan.
The engagement process has been launched, and I would encourage the palliative and end of life care sector, including hospice providers, service users and their families, to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should and what the potential solutions are. More information is available at the following link:
The Department does not collect or hold data on the number of people waiting for places in hospices run by charitable organisations.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department (a) collects and (b) holds on the number of people waiting for places in hospices run by charitable organisations.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person, as well as their families and carers, receives high-quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to end of life.
I recently met NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care in England. We will consider next steps on palliative and end of life care, including hospice funding, in the coming months.
We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, including those in the hospice sector, as we develop the plan.
The engagement process has been launched, and I would encourage the palliative and end of life care sector, including hospice providers, service users and their families, to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should and what the potential solutions are. More information is available at the following link:
The Department does not collect or hold data on the number of people waiting for places in hospices run by charitable organisations.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department have had recent discussions with Hertfordshire County Council on the two-tier system of local government in that county.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
There has been no specific discussion on this topic. The department is always open to hearing from councils about government in their local area.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12746 on Employers' Contributions, if she will consult (a) small businesses, (b) social care providers and (c) GP surgeries before publishing the Tax Information and Impact Note.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November
The government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to employers’ National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all next year.
More than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package and eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has prepared terms of reference for a consultation on replacing business rates with a land value tax since 2019.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.
At Budget 2024, we announced our intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. It must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties – those with rateable values of £500,000 and above.
This Budget announcement reflects the Government’s first steps to support the high street. We want to go further to modernise the system, and so we have published a discussion paper setting out priority areas for reform. This paper invites stakeholders to help co-design a fairer business rates system that supports investment.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to provide additional funding to local authorities for the cost of increases to employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 11851 on 8 November 2024.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 6540 on Kidney Diseases: Transplant Surgery, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing psychological and social care support to all kidney transplant recipients in each of the next five years.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A financial assessment for all aspects of renal replacement therapy provision, including transplantation, will be completed as part of the work NHS England is currently undertaking to update the specialised renal service specifications, again including transplantation. This will include reviewing and updating, where appropriate, the requirements for psychological support services, in line with the recommendations of the Renal Services Transformation Programme toolkit. No specific assessment has been made of the cost of providing social care support to all kidney transplant recipients.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9564 on Employers' Contributions: Small Businesses, if she will publish any impact assessment for the raise to employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Tax Information and Impact Note will be published in due course alongside the legislation when it is introduced to Parliament.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she made a socio-economic impact assessment of the increase to employer national insurance contributions.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Tax Information and Impact Note will be published in due course alongside the legislation when it is introduced to Parliament.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, whether the Departmental settlements include funding for public sector employers for the cost of increases to employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer National Insurance Contributions costs only. This funding will be allocated to departments, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way.
This is in line with the approach taken under the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.
The Government plans to update Parliament on allocations by department in the usual way as soon as possible.