Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to conduct a cross-sector review of business practices in supporting recently bereaved customers.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Government has no plans to conduct a cross-sector review of business practice in supporting recently bereaved consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority have considered this issue across financial services and have published guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers in line with the FCA’s Consumer Duty.

Outside of the financial sector, internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, companies are expected to treat consumers with compassion and understanding in such circumstances.

Business dealing with vulnerable consumers can also refer to the British Standard on Inclusive Service which utilises best practices from BS ISO 22458 on Consumer Vulnerability.

Through the Employment Rights Bill, the Department is establishing a new statutory right to Bereavement Leave. As part of this, it is also considering how to better support individuals experiencing bereavement, including by providing clearer guidance for employers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital funding has been allocated to GP practices in Wiltshire in each of the last three years; and how many bids for premises improvement funding were (a) submitted and (b) approved.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will deliver upgrades to more than a thousand general practice surgeries across England this year. This includes nine schemes in the Bath, Northeast Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BNSSW ICB), totalling a capital investment of £1.5 million. This is the first dedicated national capital fund for primary care since 2020.

The following table shows the operational capital allocated to the BNSSW ICB for the last three financial years, which was subsequently prioritised at their discretion:

This covers maintenance and other capital spend across the BNSSW ICB, and it is at local discretion whether an element is allocated to primary care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to GPs to help improve the (a) early recognition and (b) management of ME in (i) Wiltshire and (ii) areas in Wiltshire with limited specialist services.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Earlier this year, NHS England completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), stocktake to provide a national overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed widely recognised challenges, as well as significant variation in care delivery across England, and a lack of comprehensive activity data.

The Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners in Wiltshire, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. Sessions one and two of the e-learning programme are now available at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288

The third session is currently being finalised and will be launched later in 2025.

The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning programme on ME/CFS to all United Kingdom medical schools, and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of medical schools, and it is important that education is reenforced at different stages of medical training. Royal colleges play an important role in this. The GMC has included ME/CFS in the content map for the new national exam, so all medical schools will need to teach it as a subject.

We are developing a final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish in due course. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease in Wiltshire and throughout England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS services for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Earlier this year, NHS England completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), stocktake to provide a national overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed widely recognised challenges, as well as significant variation in care delivery across England, and a lack of comprehensive activity data.

The Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners in Wiltshire, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. Sessions one and two of the e-learning programme are now available at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288

The third session is currently being finalised and will be launched later in 2025.

The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning programme on ME/CFS to all United Kingdom medical schools, and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of medical schools, and it is important that education is reenforced at different stages of medical training. Royal colleges play an important role in this. The GMC has included ME/CFS in the content map for the new national exam, so all medical schools will need to teach it as a subject.

We are developing a final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish in due course. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease in Wiltshire and throughout England.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of extreme heat and drought on harvest forecasts for summer 2025.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra does not forecast harvest yields. However, the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group monitors, alongside other issues, the impact of heat and drought on agricultural markets across the UK, while continuing to develop our understanding and analysis of the longer term impacts of extreme weather and climate change on farming.

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 impact of Invest 2035 on rural economies; and what steps he plans to use to monitor its impact on rural inclusion.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Invest 2035 was published in October last year, seeking views on the UK’s Industrial Strategy. The Modern Industrial Strategy was published on 23 June, setting out a 10-year plan to back our strengths and realise Britain’s potential, targeting investment towards eight-growth driving sectors (IS-8). The Strategy focuses efforts on the city regions and clusters where the IS-8 concentrate. There are clusters across the country, including in rural areas, and the policy package addresses the biggest constraints to growth highlighted by businesses in the IS-8 sectors.

The Government supports a robust and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the Industrial Strategy. We have chosen six economic indicators that reflect a range of desirable objectives for the IS-8 and the economy as a whole, which will be tracked at a sector and place level. Monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy will be overseen by the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council who will take a data-led approach to assess progress on the overall Industrial Strategy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps she is taking to provide (a) targeted apprenticeship and (b) reskilling opportunities to people living in rural areas.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and learners and increase access to talent across the eight industrial strategy sectors.

The department will continue to rollout shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships to give more people across the country the opportunity to learn and earn in industrial strategy sectors. The first seven foundation apprenticeships will be available from August 2025, supporting young people into careers such as digital, engineering and manufacturing.

The department will also introduce short courses, funded through the growth and skills levy. These will also support industrial strategy sectors starting from April 2026.

The department will work with Skills England to identify the short courses which will be prioritised for the initial and subsequent rollouts and how these sit alongside apprenticeships and other training routes. We will set out further information in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support the development of clean energy infrastructure and (b) introduce targeted support for green jobs in rural areas.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has set out clear plans to support the development of clean energy infrastructure via the Clean Power Action Plan and the Spending Review. For example, we are making deployment easier, including the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, introduced on 11 March 2025, which is streamlining the planning process to fast-track critical projects. Additionally, we're transforming the electricity grid, its biggest overhaul since the 1960s, by building new capacity ahead of need and reforming outdated connection processes.

The Government is also seizing the growth opportunities of the clean energy transition—central to the Modern Industrial Strategy and the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan. This sets out the frontier industries where the UK has the greatest potential to boost manufacturing, innovation, and associated services. This will create good jobs across the country, including in our industrial heartlands and rural areas.

The Department will also publish a Clean Energy Workforce Strategy in 2025 to ensure high-quality, long-term jobs across the UK. Through Office for Clean Energy Jobs, we are delivering Regional Skills Pilots in clean energy hubs like Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, helping local partners grow the skilled workforce needed for the transition.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, if he will publish a clean energy investment plan for non-urban areas.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has set out clear plans to support the development of clean energy infrastructure via the Clean Power Action Plan and the Spending Review. For example, we are making deployment easier, including the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, introduced on 11 March 2025, which is streamlining the planning process to fast-track critical projects. Additionally, we're transforming the electricity grid, its biggest overhaul since the 1960s, by building new capacity ahead of need and reforming outdated connection processes.

The Government is also seizing the growth opportunities of the clean energy transition—central to the Modern Industrial Strategy and the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan. This sets out the frontier industries where the UK has the greatest potential to boost manufacturing, innovation, and associated services. This will create good jobs across the country, including in our industrial heartlands and rural areas.

The Department will also publish a Clean Energy Workforce Strategy in 2025 to ensure high-quality, long-term jobs across the UK. Through Office for Clean Energy Jobs, we are delivering Regional Skills Pilots in clean energy hubs like Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, helping local partners grow the skilled workforce needed for the transition.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what steps her Department is taking to support further education colleges in rural areas to deliver training in (a) AI, (b) clean energy and (c) advanced manufacturing.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is making additional investment of over £1 billion per year in skills for young people by 2028/29. This is additional to the over £400 million extra funding already planned for 16-19 education in the 2025/26 financial year, as well as £155 million to support schools, colleges and local authorities with increased national insurance contributions. Taken together this investment demonstrates this government’s commitment to support further education, including in rural areas.

We are introducing Technical Excellence Colleges to specialise in training skilled workforces for priority sectors. Further information on locations will be published in due course.

The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy published on 23 June 2025 confirmed £200 million capital investment to tackle sector specific shortages. This is in addition to £375 million of capital investment to support post-16 capacity to accommodate additional learners entering the system and £1.7 billion from 2026/27 to 2029/30 to help colleges maintain the condition of their estate.

Local Skills Improvement Plans are collaborations with local employers and providers across the country, including in rural areas, which set out priorities to better meet local skills needs. They must consider the skills needed to meet net zero, climate adaptation, and wider environmental goals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of agri-tech on economic growth in rural areas.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Ministers and officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) worked closely with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to develop the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, such as on the inclusion of agri-tech to support growth of the agri-tech sector and its impact in rural areas. Ministers and officials within Defra will continue to liaise on implementation of commitments within the plan, and more broadly on agri-tech. Agri-tech sector growth will help to diversify rural economies, reduce regional inequalities and support food security. Agri-tech businesses are located across the country and growth will also enable new high skilled jobs to be created in rural areas.

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 adequacy of education, health and care plans for children with cystic fibrosis in Wiltshire; and what steps he is taking to help support local authorities to improve those plans.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to ensuring that people living with cystic fibrosis have access to appropriate support and services, so that they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive lives.

NHS England commissions 47 specialised cystic fibrosis centres for adults and children across England. This includes the children’s specialist cystic fibrosis service based at Southampton Children’s Hospital, which serves patients in Wiltshire. Service specifications published by NHS England clearly define the standards of services, care and outcomes that people can expect from these centres. Those service specifications aim to deliver improvements to life expectancy and quality of life for children with cystic fibrosis.

Where a local authority does not meet its duties, the Department for Education can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. The Department for Education works to monitor, support, and challenge local authorities, working closely with NHS England to tackle weaknesses that sit with health partners.

For this reason, the Department of Health and Social Care has not specifically made a formal assessment of the adequacy of education, health, and care plans for children with cystic fibrosis in Wiltshire.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of GP funding relative to the proportion of NHS patient contact delivered in primary care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Carr-Hill formula, which underpins capitation payments to general practices (GPs), is designed to ensure that resources are directed to practices based on an estimate of their patient workload and unavoidable practice costs.

It is a workload-based formula, introduced in 2004, that is designed to ensure that practices are reimbursed for their expected workload. Practices are paid more if their registered patients are expected to use services more based on past usage patterns of patients with similar characteristics. It takes into account factors, such as the sex and age of patients, morbidity and mortality, patient list turnover, and unavoidable costs based on geographical area.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country, and will therefore review the Carr-Hill formula. Details of the review, including timeframes, will be confirmed in due course.

We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) National Institute for Health and Care Research funding for biomedical research into (i) myalgic encephalomyelitis and (ii) chronic fatigue syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

We have assessed the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), research portfolio funded through the NIHR and the MRC and acknowledge that this is an under-funded area. The level of funding awarded is directly related to the number and quality of applications received and we have historically received a small number of applications for funding in this area. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, the NIHR committed approximately £3.7 million to research projects and programmes on ME/CFS. In the same period, the MRC committed approximately £2.9 million to research into ME/CFS. We welcome funding applications for research into ME/CFS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

We aim to publish the final delivery plan for ME/CFS shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating condition. Following the publication of the final delivery plan, we will monitor the progress across all actions in the delivery plan, with project management arrangements in place to ensure timely implementation and periodical reports to stakeholders as appropriate.

Together with the MRC, we are actively exploring next steps for research in ME/CFS, and we will outline in the delivery plan further research actions and the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS. This funding opportunity is a key component of our response to the need for further research-based evidence related to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS. We are also planning an NIHR and MRC hosted showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS and long COVID, research later this year to stimulate further research in this field.

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 monitor progress on the delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

We have assessed the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), research portfolio funded through the NIHR and the MRC and acknowledge that this is an under-funded area. The level of funding awarded is directly related to the number and quality of applications received and we have historically received a small number of applications for funding in this area. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, the NIHR committed approximately £3.7 million to research projects and programmes on ME/CFS. In the same period, the MRC committed approximately £2.9 million to research into ME/CFS. We welcome funding applications for research into ME/CFS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

We aim to publish the final delivery plan for ME/CFS shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating condition. Following the publication of the final delivery plan, we will monitor the progress across all actions in the delivery plan, with project management arrangements in place to ensure timely implementation and periodical reports to stakeholders as appropriate.

Together with the MRC, we are actively exploring next steps for research in ME/CFS, and we will outline in the delivery plan further research actions and the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS. This funding opportunity is a key component of our response to the need for further research-based evidence related to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS. We are also planning an NIHR and MRC hosted showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS and long COVID, research later this year to stimulate further research in this field.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the delivery plan for ME/CFS will include a strategic framework to support research into treatment development.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

We have assessed the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), research portfolio funded through the NIHR and the MRC and acknowledge that this is an under-funded area. The level of funding awarded is directly related to the number and quality of applications received and we have historically received a small number of applications for funding in this area. Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, the NIHR committed approximately £3.7 million to research projects and programmes on ME/CFS. In the same period, the MRC committed approximately £2.9 million to research into ME/CFS. We welcome funding applications for research into ME/CFS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

We aim to publish the final delivery plan for ME/CFS shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating condition. Following the publication of the final delivery plan, we will monitor the progress across all actions in the delivery plan, with project management arrangements in place to ensure timely implementation and periodical reports to stakeholders as appropriate.

Together with the MRC, we are actively exploring next steps for research in ME/CFS, and we will outline in the delivery plan further research actions and the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical inventions for post-acute infection syndromes and associated conditions, including ME/CFS. This funding opportunity is a key component of our response to the need for further research-based evidence related to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS. We are also planning an NIHR and MRC hosted showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS and long COVID, research later this year to stimulate further research in this field.

Green House Climate Club campaign

Tribute to David Lawrie

2025 Island Games

Dose of Nature

UK-based medical charities in Palestine

Reform of the special educational needs and disabilities system

Cool hubs

Funding and role of community pharmacies

Bath and North East Somerset Community Wellbeing Hub

Support for people with dyscalculia

Access to dentistry

Tackling food waste

Domestic Abuse Offences

Loan Charge and settlement terms offered to large companies and individuals

British companies and the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas

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