Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to GP practices operating from newly built premises that subsequently experience (a) building and (b) maintenance problems not identified at the (i) planning and (ii) construction stage.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision and maintenance of premises are typically the responsibility of general practice (GP) partners, who are either owner-occupiers or tenants of their surgery buildings. This includes addressing any building or maintenance issues identified after the planning and construction phases. The National Health Service reimburses partners for the recurring costs of operating in the property, for instance rent, notional rent, or mortgage costs, and funds services in the GP Contract.
GP owner-occupiers are responsible for all maintenance and repair of their property. For GPs that rent their premises, their lease agreement sets out who is responsible for maintenance. A Full Repairing and Insuring lease requires the practice to handle all repairs, while a Tenant's Internal Repairing lease means the landlord covers external and structural issues.
Commissioners may award improvement grants to GPs to fund extensions, improvements, and enhanced physical access. This can be up to 100% of a project’s value, subject to discretion and the integrated care boards available budget, under provisions of the NHS (General Medical Services) Premises Costs Directions 2024.
The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, announced at the 2024 Autumn Budget, is upgrading more than a thousand GP surgeries across England by April 2026.
Where facilities are an issue, it is imperative that GPs work with the local commissioner. There may be capital or revenue solutions to GP premises and facilities’ needs.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department has provided to GP practices operating from newly built premises with (a) building and (b) maintenance issues; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that support in helping to resolve those issues with landlords.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision and maintenance of premises is typically the responsibility of GP partners, who are either owner-occupiers or tenants of their surgery buildings. The National Health Service reimburses partners for the recurring costs of operating in the property (rent, notional rent or mortgage cost) and funds services in the GP contract.
GP owner-occupiers are responsible for all maintenance and repair of their property. For GP practices that rent their premises, their lease agreement sets out who is responsible for maintenance. A ‘Full Repairing and Insuring’ (FRI) lease requires the practice to handle all repairs, while a ‘Tenant’s Internal Repairing’ (TIR) lease means the landlord covers external and structural issues.
Commissioners may award improvement grants to GP practices to fund extensions, improvements, and enhanced physical access. This can be up to 100% of a project’s value, subject to discretion and the integrated care board’s available budget, under provisions of the NHS (General Medical Services) Premises Costs Directions 2024.
The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund, announced at Autumn Budget 2024, is upgrading more than a thousand GP surgeries across England by April 2026.
Where facilities are an issue, it is imperative that General Practices work with the local Commissioner. There may be capital or revenue solutions to general practice premises and facilities’ needs.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that pupil premium funding effectively supports the children it is provided for.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The pupil premium is additional funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children have the freedom to achieve and thrive in education. Pupil premium supports the aim of narrowing the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their peers. This will help to break the link between children’s outcomes and those of their parents.
We are providing over £3 billion of pupil premium funding in the 2025/26 financial year. Schools must use pupil premium funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, and the approaches they use should be informed by evidence.
We want to support all schools to use the wealth of evidence of what works, evaluated by the Education Endowment Foundation, to use pupil premium funding effectively to drive high and rising standards for disadvantaged pupils.
Schools must spend their pupil premium in line with the department’s 'menu of approaches' which is informed by evidence of how best to improve disadvantaged pupils’ attainment.
We are reviewing how we allocate pupil premium funding in the longer term, while maintaining the overall amount we spend on tackling the challenges faced by children with additional needs. We will provide more information in due course.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what regulatory oversight is in place to ensure (a) (i) accurate and (ii) secure delivery in rural locations and (b) other basic standards of service by delivery companies.
Answered by Justin Madders
Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.
The ‘Mail Integrity Objectives’, set out in Ofcom’s Essential Condition 1, seek to minimise the potential for postal packets to be subject to loss, theft, damage or interference. Currently this Essential Condition is effectively restricted to Royal Mail’s services delivered under its universal postal service obligation.
Ofcom engages regularly with all parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of, and compliance with, its consumer protection measures.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce regional disparities in the (a) treatment and (b) outcomes of patients with peripheral arterial disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), like other cardiovascular conditions, shares risk factors and is largely preventable. However, access to timely diagnosis and treatment can vary significantly across regions. NHS England is working to reduce these disparities and improve outcomes for patients.
To support this, NHS England introduced the Vascular PAD Quality Improvement Framework, which was incentivised through a two-year scheme between 2022 and 2024. This framework helps ensure that patients across the country receive timely and effective interventions, such as revascularisation, by encouraging all providers to meet consistent standards of care. It aims to reduce variation in how quickly and effectively patients are treated, regardless of where they live. In addition, the National Vascular Registry (NVR) collects and publishes data on the outcomes of major vascular procedures across NHS hospitals. This includes procedures for PAD, such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, and amputations. By highlighting both good practice and areas needing improvement, the NVR supports hospitals and commissioners in identifying and addressing regional gaps in care quality and outcomes. While there is no dedicated public awareness campaign for PAD at present, information is available on the National Health Service website, and NHS England continues to work with clinical experts and professional bodies to improve care and reduce regional variation.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Coal Industry Act 1994 to prohibit new coal extraction licences; and if he will ensure that those legislative proposals protect the rights of freeminers in the Forest of Dean.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 14 November 2024 we announced that we will introduce new legislation as soon as possible to restrict the future licensing of new coal mines. Under our plans, the historic rights of Freeminers in the Forest of Dean will be exempted and can continue.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the HGV weight restriction on the M48 Severn Bridge on (a) haulers, (b) congestion and (c) businesses in (i) Forest of Dean constituency and (ii) surrounding areas; and what steps her Department is taking to (A) identify and (b) implement a solution to the weight restriction.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The weight restriction on the M48 Severn Bridge was introduced by National Highways as a safety measure following the identification of deterioration in the bridge’s main suspension cables. To keep the bridge open to the majority of traffic, vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, have been temporarily restricted.
National Highways carried out traffic modelling to understand potential impacts, including on hauliers, congestion and rerouting in areas such as the Forest of Dean and nearby junctions. The decision to impose a weight restriction followed a review of alternative options and was considered the most effective way to address safety concerns while limiting disruption.
National Highways has engaged with local authorities, industry bodies and operators to keep them informed. A dedicated team is progressing work on a medium-term traffic management solution, which is currently in the feasibility stage. The restriction is expected to remain in place for 12 to 18 months subject to further investigations, with updates provided to stakeholders as work progresses.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when he plans to publish research on the impact of (a) smartphones and (b) social media on young people.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Government is continuing to explore how the evidence base on the impact of social media on children can be improved.
This is why in December 2024, DSIT commissioned a feasibility study on methods and data to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children.
The Government is currently considering the findings of the feasibility study and will publish the results in due course.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help tackle pay disparities for disabled people.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling pay disparities for disabled people is a priority for this government.
The King’s Speech announced our intention to legislate to introduce mandatory disability pay gap reporting for large employers and to make the right to equal pay effective for disabled people.
Our consultation on disability pay gap reporting closed on 10 June and we are now considering over 650 responses to this.
Our Call for Evidence on changes to equality law, launched in April, seeks views on making the right to equal pay effective for disabled people.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the administration of CPR training in schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All state-funded schools in England are required to teach their pupils first aid training, which includes basic first aid and dealing with common injuries, within their statutory health education provision. In addition, pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example, how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators.
The department does not monitor the administration of CPR training in schools. When undertaking their first aid needs assessments, schools should consider the needs of their staff, pupils and other non-employees such as visitors, and put in place appropriate provision, including in relation to training, as recommended by the Health and Safety Executive and the department’s first-aid guidance for schools