Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 support GP practices to (a) recruit and (b) retain skilled practitioners.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
Under recently announced changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) will become more flexible to allow primary care networks (PCNs) to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.
In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305, representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.
Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 reduce levels of GP unemployment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
Under recently announced changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) will become more flexible to allow primary care networks (PCNs) to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.
In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305, representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.
Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 improve the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
Under recently announced changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) will become more flexible to allow primary care networks (PCNs) to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.
In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305, representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.
Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase core funding for GP practices.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an additional £889 million into core funding for general practice (GP) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it a statutory requirement for schools to have libraries; and whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that all schools have access to well-resourced libraries.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Maidenhead to the answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25150.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she will issue guidance to local authorities to waive street party fees for celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 5 March 2025, Minister Peacock, Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) wrote to all local authorities regarding the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe (VE) and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day this year.
The letter asked councils to help their communities in their preparations for VE Day – including by making processes cost-free for residents, as well as by signposting and updating existing community activity guidance and being flexible when receiving applications for road closures for street parties.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
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 help prevent persistent flooding in (a) Cookham and (b) Hurley.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environment Agency (EA) teams are working with colleagues from Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council to improve knowledge and understanding of the flooding that has occurred during the last two years of higher-than-average rainfall.
The EA is engaging with residents and community groups around Cookham, as well as elsewhere in the borough, to improve the services it provides. EA teams have also been providing advice and guidance about flood resilience, as well as promoting the recently closed Flood Recovery Grants.
A study was completed during 2018-19 to look at possible options to mitigate flooding in Hurley. Unfortunately, at the time this study was completed it did not find an option that was financially viable.
Inspections of EA flood defences led to temporary works during December 2024, to reinstate a bank collapse on the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) near Taplow. This repair enabled MWEFAS to remain operational this winter, ensuring 3000 properties still benefit from the defences which include flood gates, walls and embankments in the Cookham area. EA teams are now designing the permanent repairs to take place as soon as possible.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to take steps to intervene in the case of Iranian citizens Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani; and whether he plans to have discussions with his Iranian counterpart on the use of the death penalty in Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have repeatedly called on the Islamic Republic to establish a moratorium on executions, including through a Human Rights Ambassadors joint statement at the Human Rights Council in October 2024. The UK also helped deliver a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran at the UN Third Committee in November 2024. In January, the Foreign Secretary raised human rights directly with his Iranian counterpart. We will continue to raise human rights issues directly with the regime, including through our Ambassador in Tehran.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will publish the consultation on fluorinated gas regulation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The GB F-gas review is ongoing, and we are in the process of developing proposals for amending the F-gas legislation in Great Britain. We intend to go out to consultation on proposals for reform in due course. Defra officials have ongoing and valued engagement with sector stakeholders as part of the review process and have gathered incredibly useful input.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet with manufacturers from the (a) heating, (b) refrigeration and (c) air conditioning industries to discuss the inclusion of mandatory training for flammable refrigerants in the Government’s consultation on fluorinated gas regulation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The GB F-gas review is ongoing, and we are in the process of developing proposals for amending the F-gas legislation in Great Britain. We intend to go out to consultation on proposals for reform in due course. Defra officials have ongoing and valued engagement with sector stakeholders as part of the review process and have gathered incredibly useful input. Private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.