Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent GPs worked in the NHS in England in each financial year since 2009-10.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is publicly available and can be accessed here:
and
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent district nurses worked in the NHS in England in each financial year since 2009-10.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. These include staff working for hospital trusts and other core organisations, but excludes staff working for other providers such as in primary care, general practice, or social care. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The statistics, including those for district nurses, are available at the following link:
We know that district nurses will also work outside NHS trusts, for other providers of community services. We do not hold data on the number of district nurses working outside the NHS. The Nursing and Midwifery Council publishes data on the number of nurses with district nursing qualifications on the professional register across the United Kingdom, and is available at the following link:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support landowners to maintain their own stretches of river along the River Deben in Suffolk to help reduce future flooding risk.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Riparian landowners, those whose land adjoins a watercourse, are required under common law to maintain the watercourse, including the removal of debris and blockages, which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away, as well as maintenance of the bed and banks, and any trees or shrubs growing on the banks.
The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK. By April 2024, new Environment Agency engagement guidance will be published to help risk management authorities, Environment Agency staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.
The Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Policy Statement sets out what we expect from those responsible for all assets and watercourses – including risk management authorities, other public and community organisations, the private sector and riparian owners – to invest in ongoing maintenance and ensure timely repairs where necessary.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 increase funding to the Environment Agency to clean the tidal stretch of the River Deben in Suffolk to reduce the risk of flooding.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the last Spending Review the Government increased funding to the Environment Agency (EA) for maintaining flood defences by £22 million per year, so now over £200 million per year is invested in maintenance. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order.
Maintenance is targeted to those areas where it is cost beneficial and will achieve the greatest reduction in flood risk for communities.
The annual maintenance programme for the fluvial River Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting, along with operational checks. On the tidal stretch of the river, the EA undertakes raised embankment mowing and maintenance, along with the operation and maintenance of tidal flood gates. The government has invested £68,000 in total for 2023-24 to maintain both the tidal and fluvial elements of the river and will invest a similar level of funding in 2024-25. In addition, in 2022-23, £121,000 of capital funding was spent repairing the walls of the River Deben.
Future flood defence maintenance budgets will be determined as part of the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 require the Environment Agency to commission the Independent Drainage Board to oversee the maintenance of the River Deben in Suffolk.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead risk management authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea.
The Environment Agency has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where maintenance is the responsibility of the Environment Agency it focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding.
The Environment Agency can enter into public sector cooperation agreements with internal drainage boards (IDBs) for watercourse maintenance. This enables the Environment Agency to utilise the IDBs’ workforce, skills, experience and supplier frameworks. Such an agreement is already in place between the Environment Agency and the Suffolk IDB to deliver effective and efficient maintenance in the river Deben Catchment.
The annual maintenance programme for the river Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting along with operational checks, the spend for this in 2023-24 was approximately £68,000. The Environment Agency anticipate a similar level of spend and maintenance activities for 2024-2025. Capital projects are undertaken as required, most recently in 2022-23 with approximately £121,000 spent on repairs to the river walls.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to commission the Independent Drainage Board to oversee the maintenance of the River Deben in Suffolk.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead risk management authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea.
The Environment Agency has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where maintenance is the responsibility of the Environment Agency it focuses its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest benefit in terms of protecting people and property from flooding.
The Environment Agency can enter into public sector cooperation agreements with internal drainage boards (IDBs) for watercourse maintenance. This enables the Environment Agency to utilise the IDBs’ workforce, skills, experience and supplier frameworks. Such an agreement is already in place between the Environment Agency and the Suffolk IDB to deliver effective and efficient maintenance in the river Deben Catchment.
The annual maintenance programme for the river Deben currently includes channel clearance and grass cutting along with operational checks, the spend for this in 2023-24 was approximately £68,000. The Environment Agency anticipate a similar level of spend and maintenance activities for 2024-2025. Capital projects are undertaken as required, most recently in 2022-23 with approximately £121,000 spent on repairs to the river walls.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will have discussions with the National Grid on ensuring that the statutory consultation on the Norwich to Tilbury infrastructure project does not take place until the reports by the (a) National Grid's Electricity Systems Operator on The East Anglian Study and (b) Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee following its inquiry entitled A flexible grid for the future are published.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As the statutory consultation process is not led by Government, there have not been discussions between the Secretary of State and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) on the timing and alignment of its consultation on this project. NGET has however publicly stated that it will ensure that the results of the Electricity System Operator East Anglia study will be considered fully.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will have discussions with National Grid on ensuring that the statutory consultation on the Norwich to Tilbury infrastructure project does not take place until the Electricity System Operator offshore coordination study has concluded.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As the statutory consultation process is not led by Government, there have not been discussions between the Secretary of State and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) on the timing and alignment of its consultation on this project. NGET has however publicly stated that it will ensure that the results of the Electricity System Operator East Anglia study will be considered fully.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Ofgem's role in enforcing the use of the Treasury Green Book guidance in relation to the development of the Norwich to Tilbury proposals by the National Grid.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Green Book provides standard guidance for evaluating benefits and outcomes of projects. Transmission Owners follow a robust assessment process and use national guidance, primarily the National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure. Their proposals are subject to an independent high-level assessment of their ability to meet electricity network needs by the Electricity System Operator. Ofgem expects Transmission Owners to reference the Green Book in their submissions, but its application is not enforced and there is no requirement in the Planning Act 2008 for a Green Book assessment to be included in Development Consent Order applications.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will have discussions with National Grid on ensuring that energy infrastructure projects comply with HM Treasury's publication entitled The Green Book, published in March 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Green Book provides standard guidance for evaluating benefits and outcomes of projects. Transmission Owners follow a robust assessment process and use national guidance, primarily the National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure. Their proposals are subject to an independent high-level assessment of their ability to meet electricity network needs by the Electricity System Operator. Ofgem expects Transmission Owners to reference the Green Book in their submissions, but its application is not enforced and there is no requirement in the Planning Act 2008 for a Green Book assessment to be included in Development Consent Order applications.