Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of water in the River Exe.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including South West Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.
The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.
I would refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the levels of pollution in the River Exe.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State recently met with water company bosses, including South West Water, to make it clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment. During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms to reduce sewage pollution and attract investment to upgrade infrastructure.
The Government also announced a new Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will turn around the performance of water companies, in the King’s Speech. The Bill will strengthen regulation, give the water regulator new powers to ban the payment of bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water executives. These are the first critical steps in enabling a long-term and transformative reset of the entire water sector.
I would refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support global progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a mission to create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet. Achieving SDG2 (Zero Hunger) is essential to accomplishing this mission, working in genuine partnership with others.
During the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in Rio on 22-24 July, I announced our intention to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty when it launches in November. The Alliance will be an essential platform for sharing solutions, exchanging expertise and unlocking much-needed finance to accelerate progress against hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 access to NHS mental health services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over a million people with mental health issues are not getting the support they need. The Government will fix our broken National Health Service, in part by recruiting 8,500 mental health workers, introducing specialist mental health professionals in every school, and rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community. In addition, as announced in the King’s Speech, we are bringing forward legislation to modernise the Mental Health Act.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help improve access to NHS dentistry in Exeter constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. The NHS Devon ICB is responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need, and determine the priorities for investment across the ICB area.
Patients unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance. NHS dentists are now required to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of community pharmacies open in the Exeter constituency on the (a) most recent date for which figures are available and (b) same date in 2010.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
On 30 June 2024 there were 13 pharmacies in the Exeter constituency. Nine out of 10 people in Exeter live within a mile or a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. The Department does not hold data on how many pharmacies there were in the Exeter constituency in 2010.
The need for pharmaceutical services is best decided at a local level, which is why Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to publish Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments every three years. In certain rural areas people may also be able to access Dispensing Doctors, and everyone can access Distance Selling Pharmacies, who provide services nationally, and must send medicines to a patient’s home free-of-charge.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 estimate of the number of pharmacies needed for residents in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
On 30 June 2024 there were 13 pharmacies in the Exeter constituency. Nine out of 10 people in Exeter live within a mile or a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. The Department does not hold data on how many pharmacies there were in the Exeter constituency in 2010.
The need for pharmaceutical services is best decided at a local level, which is why Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to publish Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments every three years. In certain rural areas people may also be able to access Dispensing Doctors, and everyone can access Distance Selling Pharmacies, who provide services nationally, and must send medicines to a patient’s home free-of-charge.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to support community pharmacies in the Exeter constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
On 30 June 2024 there were 13 pharmacies in the Exeter constituency. Nine out of 10 people in Exeter live within a mile or a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. The Department does not hold data on how many pharmacies there were in the Exeter constituency in 2010.
The need for pharmaceutical services is best decided at a local level, which is why Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to publish Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments every three years. In certain rural areas people may also be able to access Dispensing Doctors, and everyone can access Distance Selling Pharmacies, who provide services nationally, and must send medicines to a patient’s home free-of-charge.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of open dentistry practices that accept new adult NHS patients in Exeter constituency on the (a) most recent date for which figures are available and (b) same date in 2010.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While data for 2010 is not available, as of 10 July 2024, there were 16 open dentistry practices in the Exeter constituency, two of which were showing as accepting new adult patients when availability allows, and two of which were showing as accepting new child patients when availability allows. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website, and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of dentistry practices in the Exeter constituency accepting new (a) adult and (b) child NHS patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While data for 2010 is not available, as of 10 July 2024, there were 16 open dentistry practices in the Exeter constituency, two of which were showing as accepting new adult patients when availability allows, and two of which were showing as accepting new child patients when availability allows. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website, and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist