Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Peter Prinsley and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 18th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that issue on behalf of his constituents. We are, as he knows, committed to fixing the foundations of local government and keeping taxes as low as possible for working people. The Budget announced a real-terms increase for local government, with over £4 billion of added funding. We will put that support in place, and he is right to raise that issue.

[Peter Prinsley (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) (Lab)]

Q13.   We have in our NHS many brilliant émigré and refugee surgeons from the greatly troubled middle east, and I have been privileged to work alongside some of them from Iran, Iraq and from Syria, which we think especially now. What practical measures can the UK take to help ensure that Syria now has the best chance of becoming an open society and the second functional democracy in the region?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for drawing attention to the people of Syria and to the health workers of all backgrounds who do vital work in our NHS. The fall of Assad’s brutal regime is to be welcomed and should be welcomed, but we must be cautious about what comes next. We have provided £50 million of extra support to vulnerable Syrians and I have spoken to G7 leaders to work towards a Syrian Government that respects international law, universal human rights and protects all citizens across all sectors.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Peter Prinsley and Keir Starmer

Wednesday 4th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising this issue, which is obviously a considerable concern to him and his constituents. National Grid, as he knows, does balance the grid by occasionally requesting some generators to stop when there is not enough capacity on the network. That is not good enough. That is not acceptable, for the reasons set out in his question. It is a problem that was not fixed over the last 14 years, but a problem we are determined to fix as we go forward. I will make sure that a relevant Minister speaks to him about the particular issue in his constituency.

[Peter Prinsley (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) (Lab)]

Q7. As a surgeon from East Anglia, I welcome the measures the new Government have taken to fulfil their mission to fix the NHS. In my constituency of Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, the West Suffolk hospital is badly affected by RAAC—reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete—just like the James Paget hospital in Norfolk, where I have worked for nearly 30 years. Does the Prime Minister agree with me that the RAAC hospitals must be priorities as the new Government undertake their review of the new hospital programme?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend, who brings huge expertise to this area, for his question. We have to reset the new hospital programme and put it on a sustainable footing. The last Government promised 40 new hospitals. The problem is there were not 40, they were not new and some of them were not even hospitals. Hospitals with RAAC, including West Suffolk hospital, must be a priority, so we are reviewing the programme, and the Secretary of State will update Parliament as soon as possible.