Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 25469 on Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, how many recipients there are in each region of the UK.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The number of scheme members by region, as at July 2023, is as follows:

A breakdown by region of former miners and dependants is not available.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 1095 on Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, if she will take steps to calculate how many of the 23,974 spouse/dependant pensioners in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme reside in (a) Easington constituency and (b) the North East.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The breakdown of dependant members by constituency is not available. It would be for the Trustees to take steps to calculate this figure. As at June 2023, the total number of MPS members in Easington was 3563 and in the North East was 15,917.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many former employees were recipients of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in (a) Easington constituency and (b) the UK in May 2024.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The total number of BCSSS members in Easington was 732 as at June 2023. The number of former employees in BCSSS in the UK in May 2024 was 28,437. The breakdown of scheme members (i.e. former employees and dependants) by constituency is not available.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much revenue the Exchequer has received from the British Coal Staff Superannuation Fund since 1994.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The Government has received £3.1bn for its role as Guarantor from the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will require integrated care boards to collect data on the availability of NHS dental care services in their locality.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for undertaking oral health needs assessments, including any data collection, to identify areas of oral health need, inform local commissioning intentions, and determine the local priorities for investment. It is a contractual responsibility for all National Health Service dental practices to update their NHS.UK profiles at least once every 90 days. The Find a Dentist website gives details of the dental practices in an area, and whether they are accepting new patients, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

ICB-level data on the number of Units of Dental Activity and courses of treatment delivered, as well as the numbers of adults and children seen, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental appointments have been commissioned by North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board in Easington constituency in the last 12 months.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

Activity in National Health Service dentistry is measured by the number of Units of Dental Activity (UDAs) commissioned and delivered, and by the number of courses of treatment delivered, rather than by the number of appointments. Data on the number of UDAs commissioned and delivered is published each month on the NHS Business Services Authority Open Data Portal, which currently holds data up to February 2024, and is available at the following link:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-contractor-monthly-general-dental-activity

Data on the number of courses of treatment delivered in 2022/23, and in previous years, is published by NHS Digital, and available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental appointments have been commissioned by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board in the last 12 months.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

Activity in National Health Service dentistry is measured by the number of Units of Dental Activity (UDAs) commissioned and delivered, and by the number of courses of treatment delivered, rather than by the number of appointments. Data on the number of UDAs commissioned and delivered is published each month on the NHS Business Services Authority Open Data Portal, which currently holds data up to February 2024, and is available at the following link:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/english-contractor-monthly-general-dental-activity

Data on the number of courses of treatment delivered in 2022/23, and in previous years, is published by NHS Digital, and available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve (a) access to and (b) the provision of NHS dentistry in Easington constituency.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

In the 24 months to June 2023, 1,099,769 adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), the equivalent to 46% of the population. This figure is 10% higher than the year before, as in the 24 months to June 2022, 996,298 adults were seen by an NHS dentist.

On 7 February 2024, we published Faster, simpler, and fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, which is backed by £200 million, and will fund approximately 2.5 million additional appointments. The plan sets out our actions to improve dental access for patients across the country, and to address the challenges facing NHS dentistry, including in Easington.

A New Patient Premium is supporting dentists to take on new patients, and since the end of January, nearly 500 more practices have said they are open to new patients. We have further supported dentists by raising the minimum Units of Dental Activity rate to £28 this year, making NHS work more attractive and sustainable.

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all ICBs across England. The Northeast and North Cumbria ICB is responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need, and determine the priorities for investment across the ICB area.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Network Rail requires its contractors and suppliers to limit the use of zero hours contracts.

Answered by Huw Merriman

Network Rail has Key Performance Indicators in its key labour contracts which measure the use of zero-hour contracts and encourages their reduction.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary pay settlement

Ending the two-child benefit cap

International Criminal Court, Gaza and the Rule of Law

Protecting Our Democracy from Coercion report

Four-day working week

Found: Leeds North East) Paul Howell MP (Conservative, Sedgefield) Karl McCartney MP (Conservative, Lincoln) Grahame

Found: Q348 Grahame Morris: That is interesting. I appreciate your candour.

Found: Stewart (Chair); Jack Brereton; Sara Britcliffe; Fabian Hamilton; Paul Howell; Karl McCartney; Grahame

Found: Stewart (Chair); Jack Brereton; Sara Britcliffe; Fabian Hamilton; Paul Howell; Karl McCartney; Grahame

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Iain Stewart (Chair); Paul Howell; Karl McCartney; Grahame Morris

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Iain Stewart (Chair); Paul Howell; Karl McCartney; Grahame Morris

Found: Morris Richard Burgon Sir Iain Duncan Smith Hywel Williams Sir Robert Neill Stella Creasy

Found: Morris Richard Burgon Sir Iain Duncan Smith Hywel Williams Sir Robert Neill Stella Creasy

Found: Morris Richard Burgon Sir Iain Duncan Smith Hywel Williams Sir Robert Neill Stella Creasy

Found: Morris Richard Burgon Sir Iain Duncan Smith Hywel Williams Sir Robert Neill Stella Creasy