Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help support pubs in Ashfield constituency.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Pubs make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.   

At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.
    
The Chancellor also confirmed her intention to introduce permanently lower business rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs, from 2026-27, and in the interim extend the current RHL relief for 1-year at 40%, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a higher tax threshold for pensioners.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The income tax Personal Allowance will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2024-25. This means that pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will continue to not pay any income tax.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of immigration on the length of waiting lists for social housing in (a) Ashfield and (b) Mansfield district.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department does not hold information on the immigration status of those on waiting lists. If a person's immigration status does not allow them recourse to public funds, then they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Ashfield District Council has a local connection test in place to determine who qualifies for social housing and Mansfield District Council has both a residency and local connection test.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to intervene where councils have issued a section 114 notice.

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

This Government recognises that council funding has been under pressure since 2010, and we understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver for local residents. We will provide councils with more stability and certainty through moving towards multi-year funding settlements and by ending wasteful competitive bidding pots. This will ensure councils can plan their finances for the future properly, delivering better value for money for taxpayers.

Councils are responsible for their own finances, and for setting a balanced budget in line with their statutory duties. However, any council that has unmanageable pressures should approach the Government in the first instance.

We have recently confirmed that we will have a framework in place to support those in the most difficult positions. This will be a collaborative process, and for example we recently confirmed our intention not to replicate the punitive premium on borrowing for councils needing support which existed under the previous government's framework.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long patients will be able to use (a) Wegovy and (b) Mounjaro on the NHS; and how long they can safely be used for.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources, and for providing guidance for the health and care system on best practice.

The NICE has published guidance on semaglutide (Wegovy) for managing overweight and obesity. It states that it should be used for a maximum of two years. Re-prescribing Wegovy would be at the discretion of local systems following an additional referral. Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local priorities, considering population need, and taking account of relevant guidance. This includes the commissioning of NHS specialist weight management services.

The NICE has not yet published final guidance on the use of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for managing overweight and obesity. In its draft guidance, there is no mandatory stopping time, but the NICE does recommend that treatment cessation should be considered if less than 5% of the initial weight has been lost after six months.

Neither Wegovy nor Mounjaro has time limits on their use in their Summary of Products Characteristics documents, which describe the properties and the officially approved conditions of use of a medicine. Information is continuously collected after a medicine is placed on the market, to monitor real-life experience with the product. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency closely monitors this information, to make sure that the benefits of the medicine continue to outweigh the risks. Both Wegovy and Mounjaro contain new active substances and are subject to additional monitoring through the Black Triangle Scheme, though this does not mean that they are unsafe.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients can be re-administered weight loss medication on the NHS if they regain weight following treatment.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources, and for providing guidance for the health and care system on best practice.

The NICE has published guidance on semaglutide (Wegovy) for managing overweight and obesity. It states that it should be used for a maximum of two years. Re-prescribing Wegovy would be at the discretion of local systems following an additional referral. Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local priorities, considering population need, and taking account of relevant guidance. This includes the commissioning of NHS specialist weight management services.

The NICE has not yet published final guidance on the use of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for managing overweight and obesity. In its draft guidance, there is no mandatory stopping time, but the NICE does recommend that treatment cessation should be considered if less than 5% of the initial weight has been lost after six months.

Neither Wegovy nor Mounjaro has time limits on their use in their Summary of Products Characteristics documents, which describe the properties and the officially approved conditions of use of a medicine. Information is continuously collected after a medicine is placed on the market, to monitor real-life experience with the product. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency closely monitors this information, to make sure that the benefits of the medicine continue to outweigh the risks. Both Wegovy and Mounjaro contain new active substances and are subject to additional monitoring through the Black Triangle Scheme, though this does not mean that they are unsafe.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, why was no cost benefit analysis done for the change to the Winter Fuel Allowance entitlement.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

There is no requirement to carry out a cost benefit analysis for all policy changes. A policy costing will be published as standard following the Autumn Budget 2024. An equality analysis was produced as part of Ministerial decision making in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has commissioned a cost-benefit analysis of the Government's net zero target.

Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK was the first country to set legally binding carbon budgets and the first major economy to establish a net zero target in law. An Impact Assessment of the level of the Sixth Carbon Budget was published at the time, including a cost-benefit analysis which showed the economic costs and benefits of net zero. Without the shift to renewable energy, we will continue to be exposed to volatile fossil fuel markets and the cost of living crises households had to live through in the last Parliament.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) Wegovy and (b) Mounjaro to tackle obesity.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Wegovy is recommended for National Health Service use within a specialist weight management service. It launched in the United Kingdom in September 2023. The price for Wegovy is subject to a confidential commercial agreement between Novo Nordisk and NHS England.

Mounjaro is not yet recommended for the management of obesity in the NHS. However, it is under assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Their recommendation is currently due to be published in December 2024. The current list price for the maximum dosage of Mounjaro is £122 for a month’s supply. The maximum annual price of Mounjaro per patient is therefore £1,464 based on 12 months at maximum dosage. This does not include service delivery costs to the NHS.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, If her Department will make an estimate of the revenue raised by removing the freeze on fuel duty.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Revenue from fuel duty and associated VAT ensures that the Government can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people across the UK expect.

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. Full forecasts for fuel duty revenue, certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will be published at Budget on 30 October.

HMRC regularly publish statistics relating to the direct effects of illustrative tax changes, including fuel duty. The most recent version of this publication can be found on GOV.UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in social housing.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 gives social landlords, as well as the police and other frontline agencies a range of powers and tools to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), and they are expected to use those powers promptly and proportionately, putting the needs of victims at the heart of their response.

The Regulator of Social Housing’s Neighbourhood and Community Standard requires registered providers to work with relevant partners to deter and tackle ASB in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing. Under the new consumer regulation regime, the Regulator proactively seeks assurances that providers are meeting the outcomes set by the regulatory standards.

Providers are also required to collect and publish data tenants’ satisfaction with their landlord’s approach to handling anti-social behaviour, which ensures that tenants and other interested parties can hold registered providers to account for the services they provide.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign nationals released from prison have been deported in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics on the returns of foreign national offenders (FNOs) by nationality and year. These returns are published in the Returns Detailed Datasets, Year Ending June 2024, which are available at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The published statistics refer to enforced returns which include deportations, as well as cases where a person has breached UK immigration laws, and those removed under other administrative and illegal entry powers that have declined to leave voluntarily

We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation, and they will be swiftly removed from the country.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes in the level of excise duty on (a) tobacco and (b) alcohol on the (i) illicit and (ii) non-duty paid markets for these products.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The approach used in costings certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility at Spring Budget 2024 does account for behavioural responses to changing excise duty rates, including the impact of illicit and non-duty paid markets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase funding for NHS smoking cessation programmes for pregnant women.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is funding a broad package of measures to tackle the harm caused by smoking, including launching the National Smoke-free Pregnancy Incentives Scheme. The scheme can recruit pregnant smokers until 31 March 2025, who will be eligible to receive incentives until three months post-partum for becoming and remaining smoke-free, subject to confirmation via a carbon monoxide breath test. All decisions on funding beyond March 2025 remain subject to the Spending Review process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Landmark collaboration with largest pharmaceutical company, published on 14 October 2024, how many times will a patient be allowed to take a course of Mounjaro, in the context of the five year trial in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As announced on 14 October 2024, the SURMOUNT-REAL clinical trial of tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, is being developed between Health Innovation Manchester, The University of Manchester, and Eli Lilly and Company, with further details about the study to be published at a later date by these organisations, following on from relevant approvals.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people claimed the single-person discount on council tax in the latest period for which data is available; and what the cost to the public purse was of this discount in the same period.

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

The latest available data for October 2023 shows there were approximately 8.6 million households in receipt of a single person discount. This data is available here - Council Taxbase 2023 in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Government does not collect data on the revenue foregone to provide the discount.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much (a) funding and (b) other resources his Department is providing to GP practices to help meet the demand for appointments in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial year.

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

We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play, and we are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community. GPs and primary care have been receiving a smaller proportion of NHS resources over time, and we’re committed to reversing that.

On 28 February 2024, NHS England published details of the changes to the GP contract for 2024/25, including an overall increase in funding of £259 million, taking overall contract investment to £11,864 million in 2024/25. The 2024/25 contract at that point included a 2% planning assumption for pay, which was used to uplift the GP contract from 1 April 2024. We turned to the independent pay review body, the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Board (DDRB), for a recommendation on pay for 2024/25.

We have accepted the DDRB’s recommendations in full and, following consultation with the British Medical Association, we uplifted the pay element of the GP contract by 6% on a consolidated basis, an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April, to provide practices with funding to uplift GP partners, salaried GPs, and other salaried staff pay by 6%. The global sum element of the contract has been increased by 7.4% to fund the 6% increase in pay.

Departmental expenditure limits for 2025/26 will be set alongside the Budget in October. The overall GP contract investment in 2025/26 will be determined afterwards.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of when the re-build of Ashfield School will take place.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Ashfield Comprehensive School is currently in the feasibility stage of the School Rebuilding Programme. The feasibility will determine the scope of the project, programme and the budget. Once the feasibility is concluded the department will procure a contractor to undertake the detailed design of the scheme and secure planning permission.

The department currently anticipates appointing a contractor in spring 2025, with construction beginning from autumn/winter 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will run a national campaign to raise awareness of sepsis.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local National Health Service trusts may already choose to run local public awareness campaigns on sepsis.

Recent evidence suggests that there is high awareness of sepsis among the general public. The Department is focused on improving the clinical awareness and recognition of sepsis by healthcare professionals, so that unwell and deteriorating patients are identified promptly and started on life-saving treatment.

NHS England has launched several training programmes aimed at improving the diagnosis and early management of sepsis. These programmes are regularly reviewed and revised with support from subject matter experts as new national sepsis guidance is implemented.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of NHS staff working on maternity units.

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

We are committed to growing workforce capacity as quickly as possible to meet local needs and achieve safe staffing levels. Bringing in the staff we need will take time, but this is an absolute priority for the Government. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future.

One of the themes in NHS England’s Three-Year Delivery Plan covers growing, retaining, and supporting our workforce. NHS England is boosting the midwifery workforce through undergraduate training, apprenticeships, postgraduate conversion, return to midwifery programmes, and international recruitment.

We also remain committed to the Long-Term Workforce Plan, which sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has provided funding to local authorities for diversity and inclusion projects in the last three financial years.

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

The department funds the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver a sector support programme for the benefit of local authorities, which during the last three years has included elements of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work e.g. an online hub housing EDI learning resources and tools, guidance on public sector equality duty and support to councils on the design of EDI policies and services.

The department does not maintain a central list of funding to local authorities titled ‘diversity and inclusion projects’ so we are not able to provide that information.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support pubs in Ashfield constituency.

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

Pubs, including those in Ashfield, are at the heart of our communities and vital for economic growth. That is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system by introducing permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses from 2026-27 and extending the current relief for 1 year at 40%.

The government is also reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products, representing an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year.

We will transform the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible growth and skills levy to better support business and boost opportunity for people to work in Pubs.

Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that men at risk of prostate cancer can access the PSA blood test.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Currently, men who have symptoms that could be associated with prostate cancer may be offered the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which looks at levels of PSA in the blood, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cancer recognition and referral guidance.

However, due to the levels of inaccuracy, the PSA test is not recommended as a screening tool for healthy men with no symptoms. This is because high level of inaccuracy could lead to unnecessary tests and treatments that carry risks of life-changing harm, such as urinary and faecal incontinence, and sexual dysfunction, as well as a smaller but serious risk of sepsis. Additionally, some prostate cancers may not produce elevated PSA levels, leading to false-negative results that provide deceptive reassurance.

Instead, men should be encouraged to know the symptoms of prostate cancer and look out for changes in their body, and should seek advice from a general practitioner if these changes occur.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which locations in Ashfield are currently providing the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine for people who are unable to have the Modena vaccine for health reasons.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is guided by the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for its immunisation and vaccination programmes. This includes eligibility for vaccination and the vaccines that may be used in the national programme.

Both the Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccine are approved for use in the United Kingdom and, in line with JCVI advice, may be used in the autumn 2024 COVID-19 national vaccination programme. NHS England advises that all sites in Ashfield are currently providing the Moderna vaccine, and that from November 2024 the Pfizer vaccine is also expected to be supplied. The vaccine or vaccines being supplied at individual sites or nationally is, within JCVI guidance, an operational matter. Further information on the JCVI’s advice is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-autumn-2024-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-8-april-2024/

Guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) states that there are very few individuals who cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccines approved in the UK. Anyone concerned about possible reactions to a vaccine should in the first instance speak to the clinician responsible for their care for advice.

Published UKHSA clinical guidance for health professionals and immunisation practitioners on COVID-19 vaccination includes guidance for the management of patients with a history of allergy, including circumstances where a person may be referred to an expert allergist and, after a review of the individual’s risks and benefits of vaccination, where it is indicated, they could then be vaccinated in hospital under clinical supervision. NHS England will continue to follow this clinical guidance.