Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many payments under the dental recruitment incentive scheme have been allocated to North Norfolk constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data is not held on how many payments under the Dental Recruitment Incentive Scheme have been allocated at the constituency level. The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.
ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
Further information on the dental recruitment process can be found in guidance issued by NHS England, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dental-recruitment-incentive-scheme-2024-25/
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
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 help support the establishment of a dental school at the University of East Anglia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We would like to congratulate the University of East Anglia on its newly awarded dental school status and its ambitions to train the future dentistry workforce. Tackling the geographical disparities in access to National Health Service dentistry is vital, and the Government welcomes efforts to help to deliver this ambition.
Government approval or funding is not required to establish a new dental school. Provided that a prospective dental school meets the requirements of the General Dental Council and the Office for Students, it would be considered for any future Government-funded training places.
We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. It will be more empowered, more flexible, and more fulfilled. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places, and with the right skills, to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. From now on, we will ensure that staff will be better treated, and have better training, more fulfilling roles and hope for the future, so that they can achieve more.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74527 on Asylum: Staff, how many asylum decisionmakers were employed on 28 April 2025.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The number of full time equivalent (FTE) asylum caseworkers employed per month until June 2025 is published in the ASY_05(M) tab of the published migration transparency statistics, located here: Immigration and protection data: Q2 2025 (Migration transparency data - GOV.UK)
At the end of April 2025, there were 1,995 FTE asylum caseworking staff. Attrition would likely occur since that time.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the availability of research into less survivable cancers; and what steps his Department is taking to incentivise people to undertake research into this area.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
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 help support community-based preventative services for older people in Norfolk.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of initiating a formal review of legislation that allows certified exemption of small caravan and motorhome sites from planning permission.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under national permitted development rights, set out in Part 5, Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, land can be used as a caravan site in certain circumstances. The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
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 merits of ringfencing funding for cycle paramedic services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of NHS tie-in periods for newly qualified dentists on access to NHS dental service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It costs £200,000 of taxpayer’s money to train a dentist. We believe it is right and fair to taxpayers to expect graduate dentists to invest their skills and expertise in the National Health Service for at least some amount of time.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health. We intend this minimum period to be at least three years.
We will be working closely with the sector on the detail of the tie-in scheme and will consult on the detail and design of the model in due course.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that dental patients in Norfolk will be included in NHS tie-in periods for newly qualified dentists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It costs £200,000 of taxpayer’s money to train a dentist. We believe it is right and fair to taxpayers to expect graduate dentists to invest their skills and expertise in the National Health Service for at least some amount of time.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health. We intend this minimum period to be at least three years.
We will be working closely with the sector on the detail of the tie-in scheme and will consult on the detail and design of the model in due course.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted any regional modelling of dental workforce planning in (a) Norfolk and (b) the East of England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England data shows that as of December 2024, 2,810 general dentists were working in the East of England, including 1,108 National Health Service full time equivalent (FTE) general dentists. The vacancy rate for NHS dentists was 17%. On the same date, 365 general dentists were working in Norfolk and Waveney, including 149 NHS FTE general dentists. The vacancy rate for NHS dentists was 18%.
We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. Staff will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when patients need it.
Integrated care boards are also recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.