Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress his Department has made in resolving Horizon Shortfall Scheme claims for sub-postmasters in North Shropshire constituency.

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

As of 30 April 2025, £507 million has been paid in redress via the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS). This includes approximately £240 million in fixed sum awards and approximately £107 million in top-ups to previously settled claimants.

DBT does not hold a constituency-level breakdown of HSS cases.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Transport on the adequacy of access to postal services in rural areas where (a) post office branches have recently closed and (b) postal outreach services have recently ceased.

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

The Government protects the sustainability of the Post Office branch network, including in North Shropshire and across the rural network, providing funding stipulating that Post Office meets its minimum access criteria ensuring 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office, across the country. Government confirmed the network subsidy will be up to £83 million for Financial Year 25/26.

Post Office are committed to consulting on any proposed branch changes, as set out in the Principles of Community Engagement document agreed with Citizens Advice. These consultations focus on customers’ access to Post Office products following any proposed change.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, requires Royal Mail to ensure that across the UK, the premises of no fewer than 95% of users of postal services are within 5 kilometres of an access point.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve access to postal services in North Shropshire constituency.

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

The Government protects the sustainability of the Post Office branch network, including in North Shropshire and across the rural network, providing funding stipulating that Post Office meets its minimum access criteria ensuring 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office, across the country. Government confirmed the network subsidy will be up to £83 million for Financial Year 25/26.

Post Office are committed to consulting on any proposed branch changes, as set out in the Principles of Community Engagement document agreed with Citizens Advice. These consultations focus on customers’ access to Post Office products following any proposed change.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, requires Royal Mail to ensure that across the UK, the premises of no fewer than 95% of users of postal services are within 5 kilometres of an access point.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has updated its contingency plans following foot and mouth disease outbreaks in mainland Europe in 2025.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra’s approach to foot and mouth disease (FMD) control is set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.

Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) keep preparedness under continual review but have refocused efforts following the recent outbreaks of FMD in mainland Europe. To this end, the FMD Control Strategy is being reviewed and will be published on GOV.UK in due course. The Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England is reviewed annually, and the next update is due to be laid before parliament in late autumn this year.

APHA, which leads Government action on animal disease control in Great Britain, is in the planning stages of a national tier 2 exercise to test and validate our response to an outbreak of FMD, scheduled for late 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has produced a risk assessment in relation to the potential spread of foot and mouth by hostile actors.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Maintaining biosecurity is a key priority for the Government and biosecurity risks are assessed on a regular basis, including through the National Risk Register, to ensure preparedness plans align with the threat landscape. The Biological Security Strategy provides an effective framework to ensure UK resilience against a range of malicious and naturally occurring biosecurity risks.

Defra possesses effective measures to detect new and emerging threats, including the incursion of FMD and actively works with other government departments and the sector through the Veterinary Risk Group (VRG) and the Human and Animal Infections Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) Group. Defra continues to adapt its policies as required and remains committed to protecting the UK’s biosecurity and livestock sector.

Robust measures to maintain and improve Defra’s ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond and recover from foot and mouth disease outbreaks are set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to personally meet with cross-party representatives to discuss social care reform.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Building a cross-party consensus is fundamental to the national conversation that the Prime Minister has tasked Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock to facilitate.

The commission is independent and Baroness Casey has the full support of my Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in taking this work forward and deciding how best to engage other political parties and in building cross-party consensus.

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 potential savings to the public purse from reduced usage of on-framework staffing agencies.

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

We have answered this question referencing the Planning Guidance for 2024/25, where NHSE England stated that trusts should end the use of off-framework agencies.

The 2025/26 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance aims to improve procurement, contract management, and work to accept operating models that meet commercial standards.

Use of off-framework agencies, which tends to be more expensive, is at record lows, contributing to a forecast cost reduction of £1.4 billion from 2024/25 (approximately 38% reduction) - NHS England » Financial performance update.

Off-framework use is actively monitored through NHS England governance mechanisms, with additional oversight applied to Trusts with recurring non-compliance.

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 progress of the Project Gigabit rollout in North Shropshire constituency since 1 January 2025.

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

As part of Project Gigabit, Freedom Fibre was awarded a contract to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises in North Shropshire that were not expected to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

As of 1 May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) had received reports from the supplier confirming the delivery for 845 premises under this contract in the North Shropshire constituency.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many properties had been connected to full fibre under the North Shropshire Project Gigabit contract on 1 May 2025.

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

As part of Project Gigabit, Freedom Fibre was awarded a contract to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises in North Shropshire that were not expected to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

As of 1 May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) had received reports from the supplier confirming the delivery for 845 premises under this contract in the North Shropshire constituency.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made and assessment of the suitability of Freedom Fibre to deliver the Project Gigabit contract in North Shropshire constituency since the termination of Freedom Fibre’s Project Gigabit contract for Cheshire.

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

The Project Gigabit contract for North Shropshire was awarded following a procurement which was compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Officials in Building Digital UK (BDUK) meet regularly with Freedom Fibre to oversee its delivery of this contract.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) cost and (b) complexity of public procurement applications on the capacity of small and medium-sized businesses.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small businesses. For too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) have been held back by government procurement processes that are too slow, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement and builds on measures in the Procurement Act including an expectation for all public bodies to maximise procurement spend with SMEs and VCSEs.

In central government, we have also announced new rules to drive greater transparency and accountability for increasing numbers of SMEs and VCSEs delivering public contracts. From 1 April 2025 central government departments must set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and to publish progress annually.

The Government will consult on further reforms to our public procurement processes to drive economic growth, support small businesses, and better support innovation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of public procurement contracts awarded to small and medium sized businesses.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small businesses. For too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) have been held back by government procurement processes that are too slow, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement and builds on measures in the Procurement Act including an expectation for all public bodies to maximise procurement spend with SMEs and VCSEs.

In central government, we have also announced new rules to drive greater transparency and accountability for increasing numbers of SMEs and VCSEs delivering public contracts. From 1 April 2025 central government departments must set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and to publish progress annually.

The Government will consult on further reforms to our public procurement processes to drive economic growth, support small businesses, and better support innovation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to support small businesses with public procurement applications.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small businesses. For too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) have been held back by government procurement processes that are too slow, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement and builds on measures in the Procurement Act including an expectation for all public bodies to maximise procurement spend with SMEs and VCSEs.

In central government, we have also announced new rules to drive greater transparency and accountability for increasing numbers of SMEs and VCSEs delivering public contracts. From 1 April 2025 central government departments must set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and to publish progress annually.

The Government will consult on further reforms to our public procurement processes to drive economic growth, support small businesses, and better support innovation.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Freedom Fibre on Project Gigabit contracts since 1 January 1 2025; and whether he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

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

As the executive agency responsible for delivering Project Gigabit, Building Digital UK (BDUK) holds regular meetings with suppliers, including Freedom Fibre, to discuss their progress with delivery of their Project Gigabit contracts. Ministers have had no such meetings with Freedom Fibre since 1 January 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 11 March 2025 to Question 35636 on Agriculture and Business: Inheritance Tax, if her Department will publish its modelling for an alternative clawback mechanism for agricultural property relief and business property relief.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility only certifies costings for the Exchequer impact of the Government’s tax policies. In accordance with standard practice, the Government does not publish modelling of alternative tax proposals that are not Government policy.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5803 on Local Transport Plans, what progress she has made on reviewing guidance for Local Transport Authorities on Local Transport Plans.

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

The Government is currently reviewing guidance for Local Transport Authorities on Local Transport Plans. The Government intends to publish updated Local Transport Plan guidance later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce business rates for the owners and tenants of buildings containing market stalls.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Business rates are paid by the occupiers of commercial properties. In the event a property is unoccupied, the property owner is liable for the property’s business rates bill.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for qualifying retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including those on the high street, from 2026-27. Eligibility for these new RHL multipliers will broadly mirror the scope of the existing RHL relief scheme.

During the interim period, for 2025-26, RHL businesses will receive a 40 per cent relief on their business rates up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to set out a timeline for negotiations with community pharmacies for the 2026-27 Contractual Framework.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is currently no set timeline for commencing consultations on the future community pharmacy contractual framework beyond 2025/26. Departmental budgets beyond 2025/26 will be set through Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will conclude in June.

A mandate for the consultation will then be sought when internal departmental budgets have been set.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the full budget available to community pharmacies in 2025-26 is spent on the sector.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This increased funding envelope is fully guaranteed for the sector.

The funding allocated to Pharmacy First in 2025/26 reflects the growth of the service to date, with up to £215 million available to be earned by contractors in 2025/26. It is expected that changes to the remuneration arrangements, continued work on improving referral systems, and promotions to increase public awareness and knowledge around accessing community pharmacy services will ensure levels of activity that will see this funding fully utilised.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has provided guidance to integrated care boards on sequencing cost reduction to avoid operational disruption.

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

NHS England provided guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs), National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts in a letter on 1 April 2025, where ICBs were tasked with developing plans setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities. This letter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/

NHS England has also circulated a draft of The Model ICB - blueprint document to all ICBs to assist them in shaping their future plans, including which functions they should focus on.

These ICB reforms are not about reductions to front line services. We are clarifying the role of ICBs to focus on strategic commissioning and reduce duplication. ICBs have submitted their plans to deliver these changes, and NHS England is currently reviewing these plans, including implementation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support dairy farmers in North Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government recognises that food security is national security, and that it requires a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports farmers. That is why we are introducing new deals for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security.

Ensuring fairness in supply chains is key for UK dairy farmers in supporting the sustainability of the sector. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 apply to new dairy contracts from 9 July 2024 and all dairy contracts from 9 July 2025. These regulations improve fairness and transparency, requiring clear terms on pricing, termination, and prohibiting unilateral changes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned 30 per cent reduction in agency spend outlined in the NHS Planning Guidance 2025-26 on nurse fill rates.

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

As outlined in the NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26, all trusts are required to reduce agency spend by at least 30%, with an additional focus on achieving a 10% reduction in spend on bank staff. This aims to transition away from a reliance on costly temporary staff and to promote investment in permanent roles.

While this specific assessment has not been made, fill rates on temporary staff, including nurses, are monitored monthly. It is essential that patient safety considerations continue to be the most important priority.

Spend on agency increased significantly in 2021/22 to £2.96 billion and to £3.46 billion in 2022/2023. However, spend appears to have peaked as 2023/24 spend was £3 billion and it has decreased further in 2024/25.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, wrote to trusts and integrated care boards in early June 2025 to reinforce the message in the Planning Guidance and set the ambition to eliminate agency spend in this parliament as part of optimising costs and productivity. The expectation is that staff will move to bank and substantive roles.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has (a) issued and (b) waived guidance to integrated care boards on redundancy policies since 1 April 2025.

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

NHS England expects integrated care boards (ICBs) to manage any change programmes within their local policies. Where two or more ICBs come together, we will expect them to apply a consistent change policy approach, as agreed with local unions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has approved a national redundancy scheme for the 50% integrated care board cost reduction target; and whether he has allocated funds allocated to meet exit costs.

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

There are significant workforce implications following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the integration of the Department and NHS England, and the associated reduction in size, as well as the subsequent announcement of integrated care board and National Health Service trusts corporate cost reductions. These reforms will deliver a more efficient, leaner centre, and will also free up capacity and help deliver significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services to cut waiting times through the Government’s Plan for Change. Through the 2025 Spending Review, we are working with NHS England and HM Treasury on how the costs of restructuring will be met. Those discussions have not yet concluded. NHS England expects to launch a national scheme shortly.

Residential estate management companies

Press ownership by foreign states

Role of relationship education in preventing violence against women and girls

Local authority funding

Farmers, growers and the supermarket supply chain

Democracy in Hong Kong

New blood cancer drug

UK-US Trade Deal and animal welfare and farming

Climate and Nature Bill

Support for farmers

Unpaid Care Dashboard

Chinese Embassy

Radiologists and clinical oncologists

Brain tumour diagnosis

Long covid in children and young people

Wastewater Infrastructure and Environmental Protection in Planning Applications

Carers Week 2025

Service with the British Commanders’-In-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, 1946-1990

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