Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing the minimum weighting for social value in public contracts worth £5 million or more from 10 per cent to 20 per cent on the ability of small and medium-sized businesses in rural areas to compete for Government contracts.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises across the country, including in rural areas and its social value policy is designed to take into account the excellent contribution small businesses make to economic growth. The £5m threshold and 20% weighting reflects that SMEs typically bid for contracts below that threshold.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of national resilience arrangements in enabling Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service to maintain fire cover in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency during the Dunwich Heath wildfire.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness. National resilience arrangements provide additional support to Fire and Rescue Services, including through mutual aid and the deployment of specialist national assets.
MHCLG has recently announced a £97 million investment to upgrade National Resilience assets and equipment. Part of this funding includes a pilot national wildfire response capability with specialist firefighters, equipment and training positioned across England to support Fire and Rescue Services during major incidents.
The Prime Minister announced that he will chair a Wildfire Summit in the autumn, which will provide an opportunity to continue to consider how our national response capabilities, including aerial assets, can be strengthened, including through collaboration across the UK.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of incentives for recruiting and retaining GPs and other healthcare professionals in rural areas such as Suffolk.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the particular challenges rural communities can face in accessing general practices (GPs), including longer travel times and workforce pressures. We are taking action to improve access across England, including in rural areas such as Suffolk.
Since October 2024, £160 million has supported over 4,000 more individual GPs to find roles in primary care networks in England, of which over 2,300 are currently in post. The 2026/27 contract also introduces a £292 million practice-level reimbursement scheme to help practices recruit more GPs or expand sessions.
Suffolk sits within the NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board. There was a 2.6% increase in appointments delivered by GPs in the 12-months to July 26, as 12.6 million appointments were recorded compared to 12.2 million for the same time period in 2025. There are now 880 full time equivalent, fully qualified GPs working since in Norfolk and Suffolk as of July 2026.
We are reviewing the Carr-Hill formula, which informs how resources are allocated to practices based on estimated workload. The initial phase concluded in May, and recommendations are now with the Department for consideration, including how resources can be targeted where they are most needed.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of whether sentences for theft of agricultural machinery and equipment adequately reflect the economic impact of such offences on farming businesses.
Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the significant impact that theft of agricultural machinery and equipment can have on farming businesses and rural communities. These offences can result in substantial financial loss, disruption to business operations and wider economic harm in rural areas.
We are committed to tackling rural crime and supporting the policing response to these offences. This year, the Home Office is providing over £800,000 to the National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit, supporting intelligence development, operational coordination, and specialist capabilities to tackle rural and wildlife crime across England and Wales.
At the point of sentencing, Sentencing Council guidelines for theft offences make clear that significant financial loss or serious disruption caused to a victim's business may be treated as an aggravating factor, which can result in a more severe sentence being imposed. Courts must follow sentencing guidelines unless it would be contrary to the interest of justice to do so.
Courts must, by law, also consider whether to make a compensation order requiring offenders to make financial reparation to victims for any personal injury, loss or damage resulting from the offence, and must give reasons where they decide not to make such an order.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the abstraction licensing regime in providing protection for water resources during periods of prolonged drought in water-stressed areas such as Suffolk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency protects rivers and groundwater through abstraction licence conditions and restrictions. The Government is improving resilience.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of whether existing compensation arrangements adequately reflect the impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury electricity transmission project on the operation of affected agricultural businesses.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government does not agree compensation for individual landowners or businesses affected by the proposed Norwich to Tilbury project. This is a matter for the transmission owner, National Grid, and the landowners or businesses concerned. Where acquisition of land rights are required, whether by voluntary agreement or through compulsory purchase powers granted in a Development Consent Order, the requirements for compensation of affected parties are set out in relevant legislation.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department have considered introducing a Northern Bypass around Ipswich.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Ipswich Northern Bypass was a scheme developed by Suffolk County Council, who are the Local Transport Authority for this region. A decision was taken locally by Suffolk County Council to withdraw the scheme back in 2020.
Suffolk County Council did not engage with the Department on the scheme and never submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case to progress the scheme.
The Department would go through the relevant assessment process if this or other schemes were put forward and if funding became available in the future.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Essex and Suffolk Water about the resilience of water supplies in Suffolk following the introduction of a temporary use ban in August 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is the responsibility of water companies to determine when and how Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) are implemented. The Environment Agency meets with the water company weekly to discuss water resources and drought actions. It provides monthly drought prospects assessing risks in future months.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 plans to provide additional funding to local authorities in Suffolk to meet expenditure incurred in preparing for the implementation of local government reorganisation before the Government announcement on 7 September 2026.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out by the Secretary of State in her oral statement of 7 September, the government has withdrawn the March 2026 decisions for Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and paused decisions for the other 14 areas while a full review of the local government reorganisation programme is conducted. We recognise the need for clarity and will set out next steps as soon as possible. We also recognise that areas will have committed resources to reorganisation and ministers will consider this matter alongside the review.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which organised criminal groups are responsible for rural crime affecting farms and agricultural businesses.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Rural crime is not recorded as a distinct category within police recorded crime and it is therefore not possible to produce a single, centrally verified assessment of the extent to which organised criminal groups are responsible for rural crime affecting farms and agricultural businesses. However, we recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in a range of offences affecting rural communities, including the theft of agricultural machinery, vehicles, equipment, livestock and fuel.
To support the policing response, the Home Office is providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 to the National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide intelligence, analysis, coordination and operational support to forces across the UK, helping to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries. We have also worked with Defra and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to support delivery of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy 2025-28, which includes a focus on tackling organised criminality affecting rural communities.