Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral statement of 20 January 2025 on New Hospital Programme Review, Official Report, columns 748-750, whether he considered (a) the remoteness of and (b) recent trends of deprivation in Torridge and Tavistock constituency when deciding which hospital redevelopment projects would be included in Waves (i), (ii) and (iii) of the new hospitals development programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Rt. Hon. member to the answers I gave to Questions 34236 and 34237 on 7 March 2025.
Additionally, as set out in the Plan for Implementation, the New Hospital Programme (NHP) review used a range of data to assess in scope schemes including the North Devon District Hospital scheme. This included assessing each scheme under criteria for mitigated risk, including health deprivation, deliverability and transformation opportunity.
As part of this process, the review also used professional expertise and judgment of clinical, programme, construction and finance colleagues from within the NHP, the Department and NHS England to identify and overlay other factors of concern before the schemes were prioritised.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure the provision of (a) safe and (b) effective care for patients in Torridge and North Devon, in the context of the new timetable for the redevelopment of North Devon District Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the New Hospital Programme, which included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January, and is available at the following link:
We know that delivering high quality National Health Service healthcare services requires safe and effective infrastructure. That is why repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future. The Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB), responsible for the North Devon District Hospital, has been allocated £104 million in operational capital for 2025/26 which will be managed locally, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including ensuring safety at hospital sites. Recently published NHS planning guidance set out a £750 million estates safety fund for 2025/26 to help ensure hospitals are safe and sustainable, £11 million of which has been provisionally allocated to the Devon ICB.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the new timetable for the redevelopment of North Devon District Hospital on (a) patient outcomes and (b) service capacity.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review into the New Hospital Programme, which included assessing the extent to which service users might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January, and is available at the following link:
We know that delivering high quality National Health Service healthcare services requires safe and effective infrastructure. That is why repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future. The Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB), responsible for the North Devon District Hospital, has been allocated £104 million in operational capital for 2025/26 which will be managed locally, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including ensuring safety at hospital sites. Recently published NHS planning guidance set out a £750 million estates safety fund for 2025/26 to help ensure hospitals are safe and sustainable, £11 million of which has been provisionally allocated to the Devon ICB.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral statement of 20 January 2025 on New Hospital Programme Review, Official Report, column 750, if his Department will make short-term capital funding available to help ensure the safety of North Devon District Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The safety of National Health Service staff and patients is a top priority for the Government. That is why repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) will collectively receive over £4 billion in annual capital allocations in 2025/26, which will be managed locally, with funds allocated according to local priorities, including ensuring safety at New Hospital Programme sites. Devon ICB, responsible for North Devon District Hospital has been allocated £104 million in operational capital for 2025/26.
Recently published NHS planning guidance set out the NHS’s operational capital envelopes, national capital programmes and allocation processes for 2025/26. This includes a £750 million estates safety fund to help ensure hospitals are safe and sustainable, of which £11 million has been provisionally allocated to Devon ICB. I would encourage Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to discuss options with Devon ICB, to allocate operational capital and national capital programme allocations towards safety works at their sites.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what she has recently consulted with relevant stakeholders on the future of the Tavistock to Plymouth line.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport ministers have not recently consulted with relevant stakeholders on the line north of Bere Alston. The project to reopen the line is being considered as part of the Spending Review, which will be concluded in June 2025.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to provide one per cent of the funding required for the Tavistock to Plymouth railway project to help ensure the completion of the (a) business case and (b) Governance for Railway Investment Projects report.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Future rail infrastructure investment will be considered as part of the current Spending Review, which will conclude in June 2025.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department plans to conclude the review of the Tavistock to Plymouth railway project.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Future rail infrastructure investment will be considered as part of the current Spending Review, which will be concluded in June 2025.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the funding for the Levelling Up Partnership in Torridge will be released.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The funding will be released subject to completion of the necessary business case that officials from MHCLG and officers from Torridge District Council are working hard to finalise.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2024 to Question 1488 on Agriculture: Food Supply, if he will have discussions with the Prime Minister on holding a farm to fork summit at 10 Downing Street in 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra will work side-by-side with industry and stakeholders across the food system to deliver lasting change and will consider options for specific events as appropriate.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support businesses that provide services to the NHS in rural areas, in the context of changes to the level of employer National Insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this 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 April 2025, the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course, including through NHS Planning Guidance, and the usual consultations.