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 ensure the long-term sustainability of air ambulance charities.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government supports the longstanding independent air ambulance charities model for the successful operation of helicopter emergency medical services in England, including through the training and provision of National Health Service clinicians.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to prioritise businesses that have signed the Armed Forces Covenant when tendering public sector contracts.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government encourages communities, charities and businesses to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. The Cabinet Office has published guidance on how departments can encourage suppliers to sign the Covenant and to raise awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant. This guidance is published on gov.uk and available here PPN 008: Armed Forces Covenant (HTML) - GOV.UK.

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 innovate the delivery of public health services in rural areas.

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

Upper tier local authorities have a statutory duty to take steps to improve the health of local people. Under this duty, local authorities commission a range of public health services and are responsible for determining the most effective approaches to the delivery of these services taking account of different local needs, including the needs of rural areas.

In 2025/26, we will provide funding of £3.858 billion to local authorities for their public health duty, through the Public Health Grant and the 100% retained business rate arrangement for local authorities in Greater Manchester. This is a cash increase of £198 million, an average 5.4% cash increase and 3.0% real-terms increase compared to 2024/25.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning further specified public health services, including national immunisation and screening programmes, under a statutory delegation from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and informed by the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Working with NHS Integrated Care Boards, commissioning of these services should also take account of local needs, including the different urban and rural characteristics of communities.

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 Public Health Grants in rural areas.

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

In line with the Government’s Health Mission, our goal is to create a more equitable healthcare system that leaves no person or community behind.

The government recognises the health inequalities faced by rural communities in England, particularly around access to healthcare services.

In response, we are working closely across the department, with NHS England (NHSE), and regional Directors of Public Health (DPHs) to develop approaches that address these inequalities. The Department supports statutory Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) in delivering National Health Services across England. ICSs are partnerships of organisations which come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, this includes considering adequate healthcare provision for populations in rural and remote areas.

The local authority Public Health Grant, including funding for the ten Greater Manchester authorities through a business rate retention arrangement is £3.858 billion in 2025/26. This is an increase of 5.4% in cash terms, 3% in real terms, compared to 2024/25. On average, funding for the most deprived local authorities is more than two times greater than that for the least deprived.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) quality and (b) quantity of apprenticeships within the (i) Armed Forces and (ii) associated supply chains.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Armed Forces is the largest single deliverer of apprenticeships in the UK, with over 23,000 personnel employed on a nationally recognised apprenticeship programmes at any one time and over 95 per cent of our non-commissioned military recruits offered an apprenticeship aligned to their trade training. That represents an annual average of 7.5 per cent of Armed Forces personnel starting an apprenticeship in the last three years and over 10 per cent on programme at any one time.

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list 2024 (as ranked by the Department of Education, DfE) saw all three Services named in the top five places. The Armed Forces provided 16 per cent of all apprenticeship places within the Top 100 and continue to add more apprenticeships every year.

Defence needs a skilled, sustainable, capable workforce that are trained and equipped to defend the nation’s interests. The Armed Forces apprenticeship programme is intrinsic to the achievement of this aim. The majority of the apprenticeships completed by military personnel are delivered at level 2 (GCSE) and level 3 (A Level), but they are increasingly available at higher levels up to degree level (level 6), which supports an individual’s through-career personal and professional development. The apprenticeship opportunities coupled with the inclusion of Functional Skills in Literacy and Numeracy also act a key contributor to social mobility through military Service. All apprenticeships are rigorously evaluated with the DfE to ensure quality and applicability.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is also actively involved in ‘Trailblazer’ groups which develop new apprenticeship standards. The standards are developed in collaboration with other employers from the different sectors of industry, meaning Armed Forces personnel are being equipped for Defence roles whilst also qualified to contribute to wider society when they transition to new opportunities at the end of their Defence careers.

The MOD is also an active and valued member of apprenticeship network groups where we help promote and champion the opportunities on offer. The two key bodies to which we contribute are the Government backed Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and the 5% Club, the latter being an employer movement working to drive forward a nationwide ‘Earn and Learn’ agenda. The MOD is a Platinum member of the 5% Club, with over 10% of our workforce in ‘Earn and Learn’ positions.

The MOD is unable to comment on the quality and quantity of apprenticeships within our supply chains as this is a matter for individual companies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on police recruitment.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provides funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 and represents a 6% cash increase and 3.5% real terms increase in funding.

This includes an additional £230.3 million of funding for territorial police forces to cover the costs of the increases to National Insurance Contributions.

The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to effectively tackle crime. That’s why we have committed £200 million to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs in communities across the country.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on apprenticeship schemes.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

Eligible businesses can claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

For more information about available reliefs please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/allowances-expenses-and-reliefs-when-you-run-a-business

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many local authorities reported an (a) underspend and (b) overspend on public health grants in the last five financial years.

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

Local authorities must account for the full allocated Public Health Grant and must accrue any money that is not committed to a ring-fenced reserve. These reserves serve an important purpose, for example to support strategic changes which may involve a one-off change in spending patterns, or as provision against future spending plans. The following table shows the movement of public health reserve levels as reported by each local authority from 2019/20 to 2023/24:

Source: local authority revenue outturn data, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing

Notes:

1. the data for 2020/21 and 2021/22 includes the impact of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund on Grants and the impact of COVID-19 on services, the information published for 2023/24 does not include any reserve outturn data for two local authorities, Birmingham and Westmorland and Furness, and the data for Barking and Dagenham was only partially completed.
2. the reserve outturn data refers to the whole of the Department’s local authority Public Health Spend, not just the Public Health Grant.
3. the total number of local authorities may vary across years due to local government structural changes.

Local authorities do not report underspends on the Public Health Grant.

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 local authorities with the impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on public health contracts.

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

In determining Public Health Grant allocations for 2025/26, we considered a range of cost pressures affecting local authority commissioned or provided health services, including increased operational costs. 2025/26 Public Health Grant allocations have been increased by an average of 5.4% relative to 2024/25.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure the commercial viability of (a) racecourses and (b) associated supply chains.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

A major source of support for all 59 racecourses across the country and the wider related industry is the Horserace Betting Levy, which generated £105m in 2023/4. The levy sits alongside commercial deals between the betting and racing industries. Approximately 70% of levy funds is used for prize money and invested into racing’s eco-system supporting owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff.

The Horseracing Betting Levy Board, which is tasked with the distribution of funds collected via the Levy, has also made funding available to support modernisation of weighing room facilities as part of a long-term programme of improvement works to future-proof facilities across all British racecourses, via a racecourse loan scheme.

In relation to any increase to the Horserace Betting Levy, the Government has written to both betting and racing industries to resume negotiations on a voluntary deal, focusing on areas where there has been previous agreement. One such area was on the merits of a potential fund to support reform and growth of the sport which would be beneficial for both industries. The Government supports the ongoing negotiations between racing and betting on a voluntary agreement as the quickest means of seeing additional funding flow into the sport.