Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of general practice staff that received the 2024 pay increase in full.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
For 2024/25, we accepted the recommendations of the Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body in full, and the pay element of the GP Contract was uplifted by 6% on a consolidated basis, through an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April, to provide practices with the funding to uplift general practice (GP) partner, salaried GP, and other salaried staff pay by 6%. The uplift is backdated to April 2024, and it was our expectation that this funding should be passed on to all salaried GP staff.
As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees within the agreed GP Contract funding envelope. The Department does not centrally hold information on pay for salaried staff in GPs, nor could we provide a breakdown by gender. The data in the annual GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is based on partner, contractor, and GP tax returns. Further information on the GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is available at the following link:
For 2025/26, we are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. The 7.2% cash growth, estimated to be 4.8% of real growth on overall 2024/25 contract costs, on the contract funding envelope includes funding for an assumed increase in salaries of 2.8% in 2025/26. Once the Department has received the recommendations for GPs for 2025/26 from the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration, it will be considered in the usual way.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department plans to have with general practice nursing staff on the development of the general practice contract for 2026-27.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As in previous years, the Department will engage with a range of stakeholders and will consult with the profession on the GP Contract for 2026/27. More details will be communicated in due course.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of funding for the 2025-26 general practice contract in England will be allocated to the general practice nursing workforce.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value the critical role that general practice (GP) nurses play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.
GPs are independent businesses, providing GP services to their local populations under an NHS contract. Practices have autonomy in deciding how to provide services, including their workforce mix, in order to deliver their contracts.
We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
The investment includes funding for an assumed increase in GP staff salaries of 2.8% in 2025/26. Once the Department has received the recommendations for GPs for 2025/26 from the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration, it will be considered in the usual way.
As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is for practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees within the agreed GP Contract funding envelope.
The contract changes for 2025/26 also include increased flexibilities for the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, to allow primary care networks to better respond to local workforce needs. Practice nurses have also been added to the scheme, with no restrictions on the numbers or type of staff able to be funded through the scheme.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of female staff working in general practice not receiving the 2024 pay increase in full.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
For 2024/25, we accepted the recommendations of the Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body in full, and the pay element of the GP Contract was uplifted by 6% on a consolidated basis, through an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April, to provide practices with the funding to uplift general practice (GP) partner, salaried GP, and other salaried staff pay by 6%. The uplift is backdated to April 2024, and it was our expectation that this funding should be passed on to all salaried GP staff.
As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees within the agreed GP Contract funding envelope. The Department does not centrally hold information on pay for salaried staff in GPs, nor could we provide a breakdown by gender. The data in the annual GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is based on partner, contractor, and GP tax returns. Further information on the GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is available at the following link:
For 2025/26, we are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. The 7.2% cash growth, estimated to be 4.8% of real growth on overall 2024/25 contract costs, on the contract funding envelope includes funding for an assumed increase in salaries of 2.8% in 2025/26. Once the Department has received the recommendations for GPs for 2025/26 from the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration, it will be considered in the usual way.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 41805 on Freezing of Assets: Russia and with reference to the guidance entitled Financial sanctions guidance for Insolvency Practitioners, published on 18 March 2025, what the value is of assets immobilised in the UK under the prohibited persons provision of the Russia regime.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Coordinating closely with our G7 partners, the UK is contributing a £2.26bn loan to Ukraine through the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) scheme, generated from profits of immobilised Russian sovereign assets held across the UK’s jurisdiction.
It is important that any decision to publicise information relating to the ERA scheme is taken on a collective G7 basis.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Annual Review of the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation 2023-24, published on 21 March 2025, how much and what proportion of frozen Russian assets are owned by (a) the Russian state central bank and (b) private individuals.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury published in its annual review that £25.03 billion in assets relating to the Russia sanctions regime have been reported as frozen between February 2022 and December 2024. This is an aggregated total of all entities and individuals listed on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets, known as Designated Persons.
Assets belonging to the Central Bank of Russia, the National Wealth Fund of Russia, or the Ministry of Finance of Russia, known as Prohibited Persons, are not subject to an asset freeze, but have been immobilised as a result of UK sanctions that prohibit the provision of financial services.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 17333 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, on how many days Border Force implemented a red rating for expected numbers of small boat crossings in the Channel between 1 January 2025 and 11 February 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
Border Force recorded the likelihood of crossing attempts of the Channel being made by migrants in small boats as likely or highly likely on 23 occasions between 1 January and 11 February 2025.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 20170 on Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices, tabled on 16 December 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
With apologies to the Rt. Hon. Member, the answer has now been published.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 9833 on Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Agency confirmed £33,315.61 excluding VAT was spent during the period 4th July 2022 to 4th July 2024 on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves). This is broken down as follows;
New furniture and fittings - £0
Other refurbishment of ministerial offices including moves - £33,315.61
The full itemised list can be found below:
Date: 04/2023
What: The ministerial offices in 70 Whitehall, redecorated due to water damage.
How much: £19,956.50 ex VAT.
Date: 11/2023
What: The redecoration of the ministerial waiting room in 70 Whitehall with furniture alterations, partly due to health and safety concerns.
How much: £13,359.11 ex VAT.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 12890 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministers' Private Offices, how much the Government Property Agency spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and its predecessor Departments between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Agency confirmed £230,462.01* excluding VAT was spent during the period 4th July 2022 to 4th July 2024 on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) This is broken down as follows:
New Furniture and Fittings - £215,030.73*
Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves - £15,431.28*
The full itemised list can be found below:
(a) new furniture and fittings
Covering the period from the creation of DESNZ, as announced by the Prime Minister on 7 February 2023 to 4 July 2024
Date Reference: 31/10/2023
What: New office furniture (desks, chairs, tables) as a result of the move from 1 Victoria Street to 55 Whitehall and the creation of DESNZ.
How Much: £141,781.00 ex VAT
Date Reference: 31/10/2023
What: Installation of Audio Visual (AV) Equipment
How Much: £73,249.73 ex VAT
Please note: the costs above were incurred as part of existing refurbishment and move taking place for DESNZ, and were not costs incurred from additional requests from Ministers.
*Additionally: Additional Changes in 55WH after the handover of the building included the request to swap the Ministerial Office with the Private Office. This was requested on 20/11/2023 and required the use of pre-existing furniture which required porterage, however, unfortunately the GPA has been unable to source the cost or exact details of what was ordered at this time by the deadline.
(b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices
Covering the period from the creation of DESNZ, as announced by the Prime Minister on 7 February 2023 to 4 July 2024:
Date Reference: 26/10/23 to 03/11/23
What: Relocation of Ministerial Team 1VS to 55WH
How Much: £10,362.28 ex VAT
Date Reference: 06/12/2023
What: Floorbox changes to ministerial and private office rooms. Please note that we are unable to proportionately split this cost between the minister’s room and the private offices.
How much: £5,069 ex VAT
During this period, DESNZ was originally part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) which was dissolved on 7th February 2023 and split into DESNZ, DSIT and DBT. As a result of this, the former BEIS departments were moved out of 1 Victoria Street and into different buildings The GPA has no record of any ministerial furniture or refurbishment expenditure at the former BEIS office (1 Victoria Street) during the requested period.