Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GPs have left each ICB in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Thanks to actions taken by this Government, we have the highest number of fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) since 2015, and steps are being taken to grow the GP workforce further. The national leaver rate was 7.8% in the period covering March 2025 to March 2026.
The table below shows the proportion of fully qualified GPs who have left each integrated care board, and the total change in full-time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified GPs employed by practices from March 2025 to March 2026.
ICB Name | Headcount leaver rate | Change in FTE fully qualified GPs employed by practices |
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | 7.6% | 12 |
NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB | 6.8% | 20 |
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 9.5% | 1 |
NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | 10.3% | 47 |
NHS North West London ICB | 7.3% | 1 |
NHS South West London ICB | 7.5% | 22 |
NHS Devon ICB | 6.6% | 25 |
NHS Gloucestershire ICB | 7.4% | 2 |
NHS Dorset ICB | 7.5% | -2 |
NHS Sussex ICB | 6.3% | 25 |
NHS Hampshire and Isle Of Wight ICB | 7.5% | 47 |
NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 7.7% | 71 |
NHS Lincolnshire ICB | 14.1% | -7 |
NHS Black Country ICB | 7.1% | 12 |
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 7.7% | 12 |
NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | 8.8% | 12 |
NHS Greater Manchester ICB | 6.8% | 62 |
NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB | 8.2% | 12 |
NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB | 10.2% | -5 |
NHS West Yorkshire ICB | 5.0% | 26 |
NHS South East London ICB | 9.2% | 14 |
NHS North Central London ICB | 7.1% | 25 |
NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | 7.0% | 10 |
NHS Somerset ICB | 11.0% | 1 |
NHS Kent and Medway ICB | 8.2% | 53 |
NHS Frimley ICB | 9.5% | 22 |
NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB | 7.7% | 69 |
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB | 9.1% | -5 |
NHS Northamptonshire ICB | 8.2% | 6 |
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | 7.2% | 0 |
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | 7.1% | -6 |
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | 8.1% | 26 |
NHS North East London ICB | 7.7% | 1 |
NHS Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly ICB | 8.4% | -5 |
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 4.6% | 8 |
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB | 9.7% | -3 |
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | 6.7% | 0 |
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 9.6% | 1 |
NHS Mid and South Essex ICB | 7.9% | -13 |
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB | 8.8% | -7 |
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | 6.7% | 26 |
NHS South Yorkshire ICB | 8.4% | 6 |
Notes:
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Written Statement HCWS1273, made on 27 January 2026, whether she plans to allocate some of the £400m grassroots sports funding to lidos.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, including lidos, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and play an important role within communities. I was pleased to respond to the recent Westminster Hall debate on this issue.
In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, over the next four years. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking to improve food security.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. Food security is a core national priority. Resilience is strengthened by strong domestic production - producing 65% of the food we eat, and diverse import sources through stable trade routes. The Government is supporting the food sector by investing £11.8bn this Parliament to support sustainable farming and domestic food production.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has issued guidance to local authorities undergoing Local Government Reorganisation on the transfer or sale of assets to community groups.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
During the local government reorganisation process, councils are expected to continue to operate on a business-as-usual basis. Assets and liabilities remain locally managed by councils until reorganisation is complete. Decisions about the disposal or transfer of assets, including to community or voluntary groups, are matters for individual local authorities to determine.
The Government has issued explanatory guidance to councils undergoing local government reorganisation on financial and asset‑related decision making and has been clear that councils should take a responsible approach to such decisions and avoid actions that could jeopardise the financial sustainability of successor authorities.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making a formal public response to the petition dated September 2025 on the United Kingdom’s historical role in Palestine.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office manages its departmental records in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958. Section 3 of the Act sets out the provisions for selecting and preserving public records.
The government does not routinely comment on petitions.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to identify, review and publish departmental records relevant to Government policy in Palestine.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office manages its departmental records in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958. Section 3 of the Act sets out the provisions for selecting and preserving public records.
The government does not routinely comment on petitions.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support networks of (a) clinicians and (b) health professionals who wish to share best practice on responding to domestic abuse.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A network of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) Leads are embedded in almost every National Health Service trust, integrated care board, and region across England. These Leads act as advocates both within the NHS and in partnership with external agencies to improve services for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. The national network of DASV Leads hold quarterly webinars to share good practice. They also use a secure NHS online workspace to share learning, resources, and training.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to make comedy venues eligible for the 15% business rates relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has defined in guidance which properties will be eligible for the relief announced on 27th January 2026 based on definitions used previously in the business rates system. Individual Local Authorities will need to determine which properties meet these definitions. Some comedy clubs may be eligible for the relief, depending on their specific circumstances.
Properties that are not eligible for this support will still benefit from the wider business rate support package announced at the Budget, worth £4.3 billion over the next three years. The Government is also introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which includes comedy venues, gyms and leisure businesses open to the public and with rateable values below £500,000. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help support climate adaptation by Government.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is the lead department for domestic climate adaptation and works across Government, including with the Cabinet Office, in delivering this function. Defra is responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008. This includes preparing a UK Climate Change Risk Assessment every five years, followed by a National Adaptation Programme. While Defra coordinates this work, Government departments have responsibility for managing climate impacts to their policy areas.
Defra is also working with Government departments to develop stronger adaptation objectives and delivery plans for those ahead of the fourth National Adaptation Programme (NAP4) in 2028.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how he plans to (a) embed climate adaptation and (b) integrate steps to mitigate and adapt within the seventh carbon budget.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Climate Change Act (2008) sets out how government must consider both adaptation and mitigation when designing the pathway to net zero by 2050, through Climate Change Risk Assessments, National Adaptation Programmes and when setting Carbon Budgets.
As set out in the Government's response to the CCC's 2025 adaptation response, where relevant the Government is ensuring climate adaptation and net zero are integrated into research and policy, ensuring we are cutting emissions while building climate resilience. This will include during the process of driving policy action to meet the seventh carbon budget.