Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a visa scheme for Palestinians.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Palestinians who wish to come to the UK can already do so via the existing range of routes available which allow a person to apply to work, study, settle or join family in the UK. More information on all routes available for a person to apply to work, study or settle/join family in the UK can be found here: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is clear that we will change existing policies to end the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten bees and other vital pollinators.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on (a) the timetable for the next review of the Additional Roles Reimbursement scheme and (b) the findings of previous ARRS reviews on GP control of money allocated as part of the scheme .
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) is subject to an annual review as part of the consultation on the GP Contract with the General Practitioners Committee in England, of the British Medical Association. NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has confirmed that recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26. The Department and NHS England started the consultation with the General Practitioners Committee in England on the proposed changes to the 2025/26 GP Contract on 19 December 2024. An announcement confirming the changes will be made before April 2025, and will include details of adjustments to the ARRS.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting charities that support pregnant women and newborn babies in Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting vital health services in Afghanistan, including for pregnant women and newborn babies. Our £161 million aid programme provides support to the most vulnerable, delivered through non-governmental organisations, UN agencies, and the Red Cross Movement. In 2023/24 the UK helped more than 1.4 million people, of whom over 1 million were women, to access essential health services, and we reached at least 57,000 children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women with dietary supplements.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent inquiry into options for the future UK-EU relationship.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government was elected on the basis of a manifesto commitment to reset the UK’s relations with the European Union, including through a broad-based security pact and tackling barriers to trade. There are no plans to establish an independent inquiry into options for the future UK-EU relationship. As we move forward, we recognise the importance of maintaining an effective dialogue with Parliament, industry leaders, trade unions and civil society.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making defibrillators exempt from VAT.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of defibrillators. For example, when an Automated External Defibrillator is purchased with funds provided by a charity and then donated to an eligible body, no VAT is charged. Furthermore, all state schools in England have been fitted with AEDs.
A key consideration for any potential new VAT relief is whether savings would be passed on to the consumer. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
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 merits of publishing details of the GP contract earlier in the year to improve forward planning.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, wrote to general practices on 20 December 2024 to confirm an £889 million uplift to the contract for 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform. The proposed changes to the contract bring about important reforms and make progress towards manifesto commitments. This announcement recognised the benefits in providing reassurance to the sector and supporting forward planning. The final details of the contract will be announced in the usual way following the close of the consultation with the General Practitioners Committee England in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
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 meet sustainable development goal six.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with governments and development partners to strengthen the delivery of climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. We work to strengthen systems in six countries: Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Nepal and Bangladesh, and we support the Heads of State Initiative to gain high level political commitment for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 acceleration. Through this initiative, the President of Ghana recently committed $1.7 billion for WASH-related SDG 6 targets. The UK is also implementing the £39m Just Transitions for Water Security programme, enhancing resilience for 40 million people in insecure countries through better planning, water governance and increased investment in water infrastructure.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to support a fluoridation scheme in Macclesfield constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to support a fluoridation scheme in Macclesfield. Public consultation is required on proposals for new, or the expansion of existing, community water fluoridation schemes. The Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2022 set out the requirements, and are available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/1163/contents/made.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of vaccine doses that are thrown away due to reaching their expiry date before they could be used.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) manages the central storage and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for the United Kingdom’s programme. In their published accounts for the financial year 2022/23, the figure was £143.280 million. The following table shows a summary of vaccine related losses for the latest published account:
Description | Amount |
Constructive loss as a result of COVID-19 vaccine expiry due to lower-than-expected use of vaccines compared to those planned for during purchasing. | £127,560,000 |
Constructive loss as a result of lower-than-expected consumption of flu vaccine resulting in the date expiry of this vaccine. | £15,720,000 |
Total | £143,280,000 |
Source: pages 124 to 125 of the UKHSA’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, which is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65c0cf5763a23d000dc821bb/UKHSA-Annual-Report-2022_23-printable_file-2.pdf
Further information regarding vaccine expiry will be published as part of the UKHSA’s Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24.