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 action his Department is taking to encourage cardiac screening in young people.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.
The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people aged under 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.
The Department and NHS England currently have no specific ongoing campaigns, or plans to conduct a campaign, to encourage cardiac screening in young people as this would go against the current evidence-based advice.
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 the United Kingdom is taking to support the investigation and accountability of violations of human rights by all duty-bearers in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 October 2025 to Question 98016.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what costs were incurred during the most recent refurbishment, upgrade and replacement work on RFA Argus at A&P Falmouth in the last calendar year.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Refurbishments, upgrade and replacement work on RFA Argus at A&P Falmouth in the last calendar year, 2025, total approximately £6.579 million.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what energy security assessment has been made of electricity supplied to the UK via international interconnectors.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Capacity Market is our main tool for ensuring security of electricity supply and has already successfully secured the electricity capacity GB consumers need out to 2028/29. Interconnectors are part of the capacity mix that it secures. Like all technologies that participate in the Capacity Market, they are de-rated to reflect their expected contribution to security of electricity supply under periods of system stress. In the case of interconnectors, de-rating is based on consideration of expected flows and technical availability.
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 steps his Department is taking to increase ease of access to GP appointments in Macclesfield constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are increasing access to general practice appointments nationally and in the Macclesfield constituency.
We have invested an additional £1.1 billion into general practitioners (GPs), the biggest cash increase in over a decade. In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,600 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients.
The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care
We are also committed to making it easier for patients to contact their general practices. That’s why, Since 1 October, GP practices have been required to offer access to online services throughout core hours (8:00am–18:30pm), bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. This change aims to improve patient access, reduce long phone queues, and help GPs manage demand more effectively.
After a decade of declining satisfaction, patient experiences with contacting their GP has improved significantly. As of December 2025, 75.2% of patients report that they find it is easy to contact their GP practice, a 14.3 percentage point increase since July 2024 (60.9%).
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking with social housing providers in the Macclesfield Constituency to help reduce energy costs for tenants.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes Plan will deliver £15bn of public investment and help lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. This includes support for those on low-incomes and the introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards for the social rented sector, which will slash the cost of heating for families, making homes warmer and more comfortable. Macclesfield-based Peaks and Plains Housing Trust has secured £6.58m as part of the just under £1.15bn Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. The funding will support energy efficiency and low‑carbon heating upgrades, helping raise properties below EPC Band C up to that standard.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to help Cheshire East Council reduce its SEND assessment waiting times.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department provides special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support to local areas through a structured approach that balances support, challenge, and assurance. Through our SEND improvement support, a dedicated SEND Adviser is providing targeted advice and challenge to help Cheshire East Council streamline assessment pathways, ensure consistent decision‑making, and improve multi‑agency contributions so that assessments can be completed within statutory timeframes. The department, in collaboration with colleagues from NHS England in the North West, regularly engages with Cheshire East Local Area SEND Partnership to understand any further needs and provides support and challenge as appropriate, as well as monitoring progress.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work is being done in conjunction with other departments to explore new financing methods for defence equipment procurement.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We have established a Defence Investors Advisory Group to support the development of the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS). As part of this work, we are exploring potential new financing options and how these could apply to specific opportunities identified through the Defence Investment Plan. No decisions on new financing methods have yet been taken.
We are working closely with other Government Departments and assessing the fiscal, regulatory and industrial implications of new financing methods to support defence equipment procurement.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his department has set a benchmark for the proportion of the UK’s electricity supply that should be imported from abroad in the medium to long term; and how electricity imports are factored into energy security planning.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Capacity Market is our main tool for ensuring security of electricity supply. Each year the National Energy System Operator assesses the capacity required to meet expected peak demand four years ahead. All participating technologies are de-rated to reflect their expected contribution under periods of system stress, with interconnectors de-rated based on expected flows and technical availability. In the longer term, the Government is supportive of additional interconnection where future projects provide system benefits.
Asked by: Tim Roca (Labour - Macclesfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was for a practical car driving test at Macclesfield Test Centre in the most recent month for which data is available.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The average waiting time for a car practical driving test at Macclesfield driving test centre in December 2025, was 16 weeks.