Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of awarding teachers a 4 per cent pay increase on schools’ ability to (a) afford education supplies and (b) carry out building repairs.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

School funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning that core school budgets will total £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

This includes the £2.3 billion announced at the October Budget and £1.4 billion in additional funding being provided to support schools and high needs settings, with the increases to employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025 and the 2025 staff pay awards.

As part of that, the department is providing schools with £615 million in additional funding in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% schools teacher pay award and the 3.2% local government support staff pay offer in 2025/26. Schools, like other parts of the public sector, are being asked to do their part and to fund the first 1% of the staff pay awards. The circumstances will be different for individual schools, because they have autonomy over their spending, including staffing and educational supplies.

The government has increased capital investment to improve the condition of school buildings across England to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year. We have also given a long term commitment to increase annual capital maintenance investment per year through to 2034/35. This is in addition to investment of almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme, with a further 250 schools to be selected within the next two years.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 59415 on Business: Market Towns, whether he has made an assessment with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential impact of rural public transport on high street (a) footfall and (b) business viability in North Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government believes that local leaders, working with bus operators, are best placed to make decisions around the provision of local bus services. The government has confirmed £955m for the 2025/26 financial year to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities, including in rural areas. This includes £243m for bus operators and £712m to local authorities across the country, of which Shropshire Council has been allocated £4.4m.

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to bus services in this Spending Review by confirming around £900m each year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve vital bus services. Improved bus routes and connectivity will increase access to local high streets improving footfall and business viability in North Shropshire.

North Shropshire high street businesses are supported by the Marches Growth Hub which provides businesses of all sizes and sectors across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin with advice and support throughout the business journey.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Post Office will continue to provide banking services after the expiration of banking framework 4 in 2030.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Banking Framework 4 is a commercial agreement between the Post Office and the banking sector which will ensure that the Post Office continues to provide cash and basic banking services to the end of the decade. Decisions on future service provision are subject to commercial and voluntary negotiations between the Post Office and the banking sector.

The Post Office Green Paper, due to be published soon, will set out further detail on the Post Office’s long-term future.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing the Oswestry-Gobowen railway line on the economy of the local area.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The previous government’s Restoring Your Railway programme funded the development of a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the Oswestry-Gobowen rail link. Feedback on the SOBC was provided to the promoters (Cambrian Heritage Railway Ltd) during 2023.

In July 2024, the Chancellor announced that the Restoring Your Railway programme would be closed. Any further assessment of the potential impact of this proposal should now be progressed as part of Shropshire Council’s Local Transport Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many service family accommodation homes the presence of asbestos has been reported in (a) Shropshire and (b) North Shropshire constituency in each year since 2020.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The first table details the number of reported instances of Asbestos in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the County of Shropshire since the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Contract began in April 2022. Data prior to the start of the FDIS Contract is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

These instances have been reported by contractors carrying out works in SFA where Asbestos was found to be present.

The table below details the reports in the North Shropshire Constituency only:

Figures for the North Shropshire Constituency are included in the Shropshire County Figures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the government is taking to attach conditions to public research and development funding to ensure (a) equitable and (b) affordable access to the end products.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

NIHR research contracts require recipients of NIHR funding to promote the dissemination of the intellectual property arising from NIHR research to maximise patient and public benefit. Any commercialisation of NIHR research must take due consideration of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s position regarding access to essential health related technologies, including medicines, in the developing world.

In addition, the NIHR has made research inclusion a condition of its funding. Applicants to domestic research programmes are required to demonstrate how inclusion is being built into all stages of the research lifecycle. Applicants are also required to provide details of how their research contributes towards the NIHR’s mission to reduce health and care inequalities.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what data his Department holds on the number of compensation payments awarded to families living in service family accommodation in (a) Shropshire and (b) North Shropshire constituency in each year since 2020.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The table below details the number of compensation payments awarded to families living in Service Family Accommodation within the County of Shropshire and North Shropshire constituency since 2022. It also identifies how much was awarded in compensation payments. Compensation payments are made to Service Personnel in certain circumstances, ranging from missed appointments to the loss of cooking facilities.

We are only able to answer the questions since the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Contract began in April 2022. Data prior to the start of the FDIS Contract is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Please note that the North Shropshire Constituency figures are included within the Shropshire County Total figures.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was awarded in compensation payments to families living in service family accommodation in (a) Shropshire and (b) North Shropshire constituency in each year since 2020.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The table below details the number of compensation payments awarded to families living in Service Family Accommodation within the County of Shropshire and North Shropshire constituency since 2022. It also identifies how much was awarded in compensation payments. Compensation payments are made to Service Personnel in certain circumstances, ranging from missed appointments to the loss of cooking facilities.

We are only able to answer the questions since the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Contract began in April 2022. Data prior to the start of the FDIS Contract is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Please note that the North Shropshire Constituency figures are included within the Shropshire County Total figures.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60599 on Neighbourhood Plans, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decision to end the commissioning of new neighbourhood planning support services on the ability of (a) town and (b) parish councils to develop neighbourhood plans.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As part of the Spending Review we’ve looked at all the services and programmes the government supports to identify those that should now be in a position to support themselves without ongoing funding. After more than a decade of taxpayer support, we believe that support for neighbourhood planning groups should be possible without further government funding. Parish and Town Councils have access to their own resources which they can choose to use for neighbourhood planning if they wish. With the end to the national structure for support, planning consultants should be able to innovate and offer groups lower cost support more targeted at their particular ambitions and needs.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Project Gigabit procurement process for (a) north Shropshire, (b) mid west Shropshire, (c) Cheshire, (d) west Herefordshire (e) Forest of Dean and (f) the Peak District.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

All Project Gigabit contracts in all areas are awarded following a transparent, fair and robust procurement process, during which suppliers are required to prove they have the capability and capacity to meet their obligations.

If this subsequently changes, suppliers are required to inform Building Digital UK, so that the delivery of Project Gigabit can be adapted accordingly.

This is not always a simple process, as commercial operators’ plans and capacity vary, but the scheme is flexible.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to expedite the delivery of gigabit broadband to premises due to be covered by the Project Gigabit contract awarded to Freedom Fibre for north Shropshire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Project Gigabit is designed to adapt if and when a contracted supplier can no longer complete its planned delivery.

Building Digital UK (BDUK) is already working to put in place alternative solutions for premises in North Shropshire that require support from Project Gigabit. This is likely to involve the cross-regional contract with Openreach.

BDUK will provide further information as these solutions develop over the next few months.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many families subject to No Recourse to Public Funds are (a) in receipt of Healthy Start and (b) have had their application for Healthy Start rejected.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department transferred the Healthy Start Extension Scheme to the NHS Business Services Authority at the beginning of April 2025.

As of the 19 June 2025, the number of those subject to no recourse to public funds, with a British child aged under four years old, in receipt of the Healthy Start Extension Scheme is 75.

Since April 2025 and as of the 19 June 2025, the number of applications for the Healthy Start Extension scheme that have been rejected is 51.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many air ambulance organisations hold contracts with NHS organisations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold this information.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how her Department is coordinating with the Department for Health and Social Care and the Treasury to ensure councils affected by high needs and social care deficits can plan before March 2026, when the statutory deficit override ends.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This government recognises the pressures local authorities are facing because of their Dedicated School Grant (DSG) deficits. As part of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation published on 20 June, the government announced an extension to the DSG Statutory Override, currently due to end in March 2026, until the end of 2027-28. This extension is part of a phased transition to a reformed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. The Department for Education Spending Review settlement confirmed funding for SEND reform, details of which will be set out in a White Paper in the autumn. As part of this transition, the government will provide more detail by the end of the year on the plan for supporting local authorities with both historic and accruing deficits. We will set out more detail at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the government is taking to implement the provisions agreed in the Pandemic Agreement at the World Health Assembly in May 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

After three years of negotiations, the Government welcomes the historic adoption of the Pandemic Agreement by the World Health Assembly (WHA), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) main decision-making body. The agreement should ensure that member states of the WHO take comprehensive action, together, to better prevent pandemics and improve disease surveillance so we can detect and respond to emerging pandemic threats promptly. The Government has worked hard to secure it. The sovereignty of member states is one of the guiding principles of the Pandemic Agreement. It does not include any provisions that would give the WHO powers to impose domestic public health decisions on the United Kingdom, such as potential lockdowns.

The Pandemic Agreement will not be binding on the UK as a matter of international law until the Government has ratified it in accordance with our own constitutional process. This would involve laying the agreement as a treaty before Parliament for scrutiny in the usual way. As part of that process, the Government would consider what domestic implementation is required ahead of ratification. The Pandemic Agreement will not be open for signature and ratification until follow-up negotiations on the annex to the agreement, on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, have successfully concluded and it has been adopted by the WHA. These negotiations will soon begin and member states of the WHO have agreed to report on the outcome within one year.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assumptions her Department made of how councils would allocate additional funding raised through (a) council tax and (b) the social care precept when calculating the level of funding provided for adult social care in the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement.

Council tax levels and the resulting income for services are decided by local authorities each year. The government maintains a referendum threshold so that voters can have the final say over excessive increases. The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain a 3% referendum threshold, with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept, continuing the policy of the previous government. This will be subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons.

Local Authorities with responsibility for Adult Social Care will also benefit from wider reforms to better align funding with need, multi-year settlements and simplification of the local government funding landscape. My department is currently consulting on these proposals as part of Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation which runs from 20 June to 15 August.

We will work together with local government to ensure that the funding available for adult social care supports delivery of priority adult social care outcomes. Further details on funding allocations and assurance arrangements will be provided at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of new funding for (a) adult and (b) children’s social care set out in the Spending Review 2025 will be allocated via (i) existing grant funding streams and (ii) new direct allocations to local authorities.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement.

Council tax levels and the resulting income for services are decided by local authorities each year. The government maintains a referendum threshold so that voters can have the final say over excessive increases. The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain a 3% referendum threshold, with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept, continuing the policy of the previous government. This will be subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons.

Local Authorities with responsibility for Adult Social Care will also benefit from wider reforms to better align funding with need, multi-year settlements and simplification of the local government funding landscape. My department is currently consulting on these proposals as part of Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation which runs from 20 June to 15 August.

We will work together with local government to ensure that the funding available for adult social care supports delivery of priority adult social care outcomes. Further details on funding allocations and assurance arrangements will be provided at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when local authorities will receive the first instalment of social care funding announced in the Spending Review 2025: and whether this funding will be subject to (a) accountability measures, (b) ring-fencing and (c) monitoring.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement.

Council tax levels and the resulting income for services are decided by local authorities each year. The government maintains a referendum threshold so that voters can have the final say over excessive increases. The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain a 3% referendum threshold, with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept, continuing the policy of the previous government. This will be subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons.

Local Authorities with responsibility for Adult Social Care will also benefit from wider reforms to better align funding with need, multi-year settlements and simplification of the local government funding landscape. My department is currently consulting on these proposals as part of Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation which runs from 20 June to 15 August.

We will work together with local government to ensure that the funding available for adult social care supports delivery of priority adult social care outcomes. Further details on funding allocations and assurance arrangements will be provided at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, when the funding for social care will be allocated to local authorities.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement.

Council tax levels and the resulting income for services are decided by local authorities each year. The government maintains a referendum threshold so that voters can have the final say over excessive increases. The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain a 3% referendum threshold, with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept, continuing the policy of the previous government. This will be subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons.

Local Authorities with responsibility for Adult Social Care will also benefit from wider reforms to better align funding with need, multi-year settlements and simplification of the local government funding landscape. My department is currently consulting on these proposals as part of Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation which runs from 20 June to 15 August.

We will work together with local government to ensure that the funding available for adult social care supports delivery of priority adult social care outcomes. Further details on funding allocations and assurance arrangements will be provided at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 59418 on Business: Imports, whether his Department has made (a) financial and (b) logistical support schemes available to high street businesses facing increased shipping costs due to extended import routes from Asia.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Globalised supply chains and the associated logistics costs remain a critical factor for the success of UK businesses and those on High Street.

The Supply Chain Centre will work in tandem with businesses to identify risks to critical supply chains and recommend actions to reduce their impact on business operations.

Businesses are also able to access a wide range of support offers by the Department, including the Business Growth Service which brings together a range of existing core services as well as new and improved elements of the business support offer. Further details will be released in the SME Strategy later this summer.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much (a) development and (b) capital funding she has allocated for the Midlands Rail Hub in the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Chancellor’s commitment to progress Midlands Rail Hub West in the 2025 Spending Review follows the release of £123 million last year to design the first phase, which could be delivered by the early 2030s.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the Midlands Rail Hub contributes to economic growth in rural areas in Shropshire.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Midlands Rail Hub will kickstart economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity, by upgrading connectivity and reliability – with benefits across the country. This means providing capacity for hundreds of extra trains per day into central Birmingham and improving performance of services through New Street station, by making better use of Moor Street station.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 60148 on Tomography: Waiting Lists, how much of the £6 billion in capital investment will be allocated to services in North Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations, including for the Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB), will be set out in due course.

This £6 billion investment includes the previously announced £1.65 billion of capital for investments aimed at improving National Health Service performance against constitutional standards in 2025/26.

Of this funding, the Shropshire Telford and Wrekin ICB and providers have been provisionally allocated £4 million to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care in 2025/26.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients referred for diagnostic scans have been seen within six weeks in North Shropshire constituency each month since January 2020.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01) dataset presents the current waiting times of patients on the waiting list for 15 key diagnostic tests or procedures at each month’s end. This can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/

The attached table shows the proportion of patients that were waiting within six weeks from referral at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests or one of the key imaging tests included in the DM01, each month since January 2020.

Diagnostic checks are a key part of many elective care pathways. In April 2025, the latest published DM01, the diagnostic waiting list at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was 12,957, of which 10,192, or 78.7%, were waiting within six weeks. This in an improvement since April 2024, when the waiting list stood at 13,849, with 9,819, or 70.9% of, patients waiting within six weeks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Questions (a) 61929 tabled on 23 June, (b) 61928 tabled on 23 June and (c) 61005 tabled on 18 June 2025.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 1 July 2025 to Questions 61005 and 61928, and to the answer I gave on 7 July 2025 to Question 61929.

Cool hubs

Jibraan Chaudhary Sepsis Research Foundation and chemotherapy-associated sepsis

Reform of the special educational needs and disabilities system

Funding and role of community pharmacies

Access to mental health support for children and young people

Post Offices in rural areas

Investment in General Practice

Access to dentistry

Tackling food waste

Loan Charge and settlement terms offered to large companies and individuals

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