Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he will launch a consultation into giving employment protection and financial assistance to the parents of critically or terminally ill children.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade recognises the heartbreaking situation faced by parents of seriously ill children. We will consult on a leave and pay entitlement for parents in this situation in 2026. Further detail is included in the terms of reference for the review of employment rights for unpaid carers, which was published on 19 November 2025.
There are no plans to extend existing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay legislation to the parents of older children. This would be unsuitable, as it would require altering core principles of an act specifically designed around neonatal care and would risk impacting on the Act’s policy aims.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending neonatal care pay and leave to parents of all critically ill children under 16.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade recognises the heartbreaking situation faced by parents of seriously ill children. We will consult on a leave and pay entitlement for parents in this situation in 2026. Further detail is included in the terms of reference for the review of employment rights for unpaid carers, which was published on 19 November 2025.
There are no plans to extend existing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay legislation to the parents of older children. This would be unsuitable, as it would require altering core principles of an act specifically designed around neonatal care and would risk impacting on the Act’s policy aims.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the adequacy of financial support for parents of critically and terminally ill children.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets with colleagues across Government to discuss a range of issues.
Many parents caring for children and young people with serious illnesses are likely to need additional support through social security. Financial support is available through Universal Credit (UC), a means tested benefit, which if needed, can offer support available on day one through a UC advance. There is also Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children aged under 16 and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for those over 16. They are available if a child or young person’s condition or illness is of a long-term nature and gives rise to care, daily living or mobility needs. These are not means-tested.
For claimants at the end of life, the Government’s priority is to provide financial support quickly and compassionately through special benefit rules – called the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). For parents with children nearing the end of life these enable families to get faster, and guaranteed, access to the care component of DLA or the daily living components of PIP, without having to undergo a functional assessment or serve a qualifying period.
People caring for a child in these circumstances can use an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator to check what they could be entitled to. These are available on Gov.uk and provide estimates of the benefits someone could get, how these payments are affected by re-starting work or by a change in circumstances change.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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, how many Countryside Stewardship agreements will end in each of the next six months.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are almost 5,820 Countryside Stewardship (CS) Agreements that are due to expire within the next six months (November 25 – April 26). This figure covers all Countryside Stewardship Agri-environment schemes, including Mid-Tier, Higher-Tier, Capital Agreements and Wildlife Offers.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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 steps she is taking to help retain farm businesses.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have allocated £11.8 billion this parliament to sustainable farming and food production, targeting public money where it delivers most value: actions that support nature to produce good food and grants for cutting-edge technology.
We are making supply chains fairer to protect farmers in their contracts and unlocking new markets for British produce.
We are carefully looking at the Farming Profitability Review (FPR) recommendations and will publish the Review in December, before Christmas.
The FPR will feed directly into the Farming Roadmap, due next year, ensuring its recommendations are embedded in that plan. Alongside the Land Use Framework, the Roadmap will set out the government’s vision for agriculture and give farmers the certainty to make informed, long-term decisions.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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, how many and what proportion of patients have waited more than 21 days for a GP practice appointment in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly data on general practice appointments (GPAD), including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, although this is not a proxy for “waiting times”. There are a number of factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.
In England, in September 2024, 44.1% of appointments took place on the same day as they were booked, and 81.8% took place within two weeks of booking, 88.8% within 21 days, and 10.8% occurred after more than 21 days. NHS England does not include information on rurality in this publication.
In our newly published Medium-Term Planning Framework we have set an ambitious new target to deliver all urgent appointments on the same day, helping to ensure the patients who need urgent care will be prioritised.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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, whether she plans to (a) reopen the water management grant for farmers and (b) introduce new support to improve farm productivity through more efficient use of water and secure water supplies, in the context of the latest Environment Agency figures showing much of the country continues to be in drought or prolonged dry weather.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Management Grant is designed to help improve farm productivity and water resilience through supporting investment in irrigation infrastructure and construction of reservoirs on-farm. Our last round, worth up to £6 million, closed to new applications in October 2024.
We are working to simplify and rationalise our grant funding from 2026 onwards to ensure it is targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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 the per patient funding was in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 for (i) Central Suffolk and North Ipswich ICB and (ii) England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total recurrent revenue allocation per head figures for the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), as well as for England overall, can be found from the ICB allocations published on the NHS England website. The column titled ‘Recurrent Allocation £/head’ in each allocations tab provides the per-patient funding figure both by ICB and for England as a whole:
- allocations for 2023/24 to 2024/25 are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/icb-allocations-combined-2023-24-and-2024-25-v1.2.xlsx; and
- allocations for 2025/26 are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/icb-allocations-combined-2025-26-v1.3.xlsx.
The figures represent the total recurrent revenue allocation per head based on National Health Service registered populations as assumed at the time allocations were set. Consecutive years are not directly comparable as the delegated responsibilities of ICBs changed over time. Capital and non-recurrent revenue are not included in this summary, and specialist services were not delegated in 2023/24 and were commissioned directly by NHS England.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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 steps his Department is taking to ensure that digital exclusion is not a barrier to accessing primary care.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Digital technology is being used to help health and care professionals communicate better and enable people to access the care they need quickly and easily, when it suits them.
Since 1 October, general practices (GPs) have been required to keep their online consultations tools on throughout core hours, from 8am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, for non-urgent and routine requests.
Patients are able to get in touch with their GPs via an online form during these hours to request an appointment or raise a query.
We understand that not all patients can or want to use online services. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. We have also committed to work with digital transformation teams in integrated care boards and with groups at risk of digital exclusion to ensure digital solutions are inclusive.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - 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, how much money has been allocated to the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
£46.7 million was allocated to the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund in 2025. Funding for future years is yet to be decided and is subject to departmental business planning.