Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with private sector health providers on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10 Year Health Plan for England sets out a transformed vision for planned care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually, online or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely and effective and will put control in the hands of patients.
The plan builds on the Elective Reform Plan and Independent Sector Partnership Agreement, published in January, setting a clear commitment to using spare capacity in independent sector providers to treat National Health Service patients, driving choice and empowerment for more patients, and entering discussions to expand NHS provision in the most disadvantaged areas to tackle health inequalities. The Government is steadfast in its commitment to the guiding principle that the NHS will always be free at the point of use, however it would be a dereliction of duty not to use every available resource to get patients the care they need.
We have already started working with the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, the representative body for independent sector healthcare providers with over 100 members, to ensure independent healthcare providers can fully support the Government’s objectives to both bring down the electives waiting list, and to return the NHS to the constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the availability of space in (a) surgeries and (b) community buildings on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to deliver a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community. The Department of Health and Social Care is currently determining how best to trial NHCs, including identifying potential site locations.
Wherever possible, we will maximise value for money by repurposing poorly used, existing NHS and public sector estate. To support this, we have requested initial information from systems on local assets they already have.
As strategic commissioners, integrated care boards will be key in identifying where NHCs are required, where more efficient and effective use could be made of existing assets, and defining their requirements for an NHC in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.
The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund will upgrade more than a thousand GP surgeries across England. Improving use of existing buildings and spaces will enable improved productivity and projects will focus on works that unlock additional clinical space and make better use of existing buildings. They will include much-needed conversion, refurbishment and reconfiguration schemes.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing guidance on the financial implications for GP partnerships of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We remain committed to the GP partnership model and have committed to working with the GP Committee of the British Medical Association (GPC England) to secure a new substantive GP contract within this Parliament.
The 10-Year Health Plan represents a significant opportunity for general practice. It signals our intention to build a neighbourhood health service, shifting resources from hospital to community, with general practice playing a central role. The excellent GP leaders we currently have across the system, and those we will nurture and develop for future generations, will be integral in shaping and delivering neighbourhood health.
We will engage with GPC England and other key stakeholders on changes to the GP contract, longer-term General Medical Services contract reform and neighbourhood health arrangements over the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will exempt full time students from paying Court of Protection Fees.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There are currently no fee exemptions in the courts and tribunals system based on student status. The Help with Fees scheme is available to ensure that court users who may be unable to afford a court fee are not denied access to justice. Full time students may be eligible for full or partial remission of fees in the Court of Protection if they have low savings and are in receipt of qualifying benefits, or are on a low income. Student loans are excluded from the calculation when determining eligibility for fee remission.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has considered the risks posed by (a) climate change and (b) nature destruction as factors for the Pensions Commission to take into account.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Climate Change Governance and Reporting Regulations in the UK already require trustees of larger occupational pension schemes to identify, assess, and manage climate-related risks and opportunities, and to report on these actions in a manner aligned with the Task Force Climate Related Disclosures TCFD recommendations. Regulations do not currently cover nature risks, but in line with guidance from the Pensions Regulator pension schemes should be placing greater consideration on nature-related risks, including familiarisation with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures framework.
My department is legislating through the Pensions Scheme Bill for a larger, more consolidated pensions system, which will be better equipped to manage systemic risks such as those posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, and to invest in projects and businesses that contribute to climate solutions and environmental resilience.
Separately, the Government is currently consulting on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards aligned with international sustainability standards, and Climate Transition Plans. Together these initiatives will support the UK’s net-zero goals and broader green agenda and are expected to influence the investment landscape in which pension schemes operate.
The Government has asked the Pensions Commission to examine the pensions system as a whole and look at what is required to build a future-proof pensions system that is strong, fair and sustainable.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the use of Defence Bonds for financing military expenditure; and whether her Department has had recent discussions with financial investors on their issuance.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
As the Prime Minister announced in February, we are fully funding the path to 2.5% by reducing ODA spending. That is why we can announce a £10.9bn real-terms increase to the MOD budget over the Spending Review period. On top of this, we are recognising the contribution provided by our intelligence agencies on defence, in line with practice among our Allies. This means that in 2027-28 we expect to reach 2.6% of GDP
The increase in defence spending will be funded by reducing ODA from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027, and reinvesting it into defence.
The government’s core gilt programme is the most stable and cost-effective way of raising finance to fund the day-to-day activities of the government, owing to the depth and liquidity of the market. This is, in part, down to the fungibility of the instruments issued to the market. Issuing bonds aimed at financing specific areas of spending risks fragmenting the gilt market, which would not be consistent with the government’s debt management objective of minimising the long-term cost of financing, taking into account risk.
The government keeps under regular review the introduction of new debt instruments. The government would however need to be satisfied that any new instrument would meet value-for-money criteria, enjoy strong and sustained demand in the long term, and be consistent with wider fiscal objectives.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 39995 on Long Covid: Clinics, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the delivery of long covid care by integrated care boards.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with long COVID. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and to improve outcomes.
To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to establish the Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice, to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society can be found at the following link:
https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk/
Earlier this year, NHS England completed a long COVID stocktake, aiming to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed the widely recognised challenges of significant variation in care delivery across England and a lack of comprehensive activity data.
Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID services, noting those challenges. Discussions considered service prioritisation and potential COVID Inquiry recommendations.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to remove parental rights from people convicted of rape in cases where a child has been conceived as a result of that offence.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has received a number of representations seeking to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill, including proposals to restrict the exercise of parental responsibility by individuals convicted of rape in cases where a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the freight throughput was in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) passing through Felixstowe port in the most recent 12 months for which data are available; and how many and what proportion of those TEUs were transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.
Answered by Mike Kane
Container throughput passing through Felixstowe port in the calendar year 2023 was 3.246 million TEU.
Source: DfT Port Freight Statistics 2023. Data for the 2024 will be published 30th July 2025.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6698eaf1fc8e12ac3edaff36/port0203.ods
The Department for Transport does not periodically collect data on hinterland movement of freight from seaports and therefore cannot provide the proportion of TEU that was transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many overheating incidents have been logged in NHS hospitals in the East of England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 665 overheating incidents logged in National Health Service hospitals in the East of England over the past five years. The following table shows the number of overheating incidents logged in NHS hospitals in the East of England in each of the last five years:
Year | Overheating incidents in East of England |
2023/24 | 77 |
2022/23 | 105 |
2021/22 | 218 |
2020/21 | 265 |
2019/20 | Not collected |
Source: Estates Returns Information Collection data, available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection