Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 that Integrated Care Boards are able to support the revenue consequences of primary care estate expansions enabled by capital investment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England.
These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care. By working within existing footprints there will be no additional revenue costs associated to the work funded by the PCUMF
This will directly address the issue of staff who cannot work at full capacity due to space limitations and will enable practices to offer more appointments with their existing workforce through better use of space. The Government has already hired more than 1,500 extra GPs and announced an £889 million funding boost, the biggest for the sector in years.
To ensure good management of public money, the schemes that have been selected will of course be subject to final business case approvals and due diligence. Integrated care boards and GP federations will not be able to unilaterally realign the schemes which have already been agreed, however if an individual surgery is not able to proceed, then local leaders will select another priority scheme to utilise the funding.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) integrated care boards and (b) local GP federations will be able to reprioritise bids for funding under the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England.
These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care. By working within existing footprints there will be no additional revenue costs associated to the work funded by the PCUMF
This will directly address the issue of staff who cannot work at full capacity due to space limitations and will enable practices to offer more appointments with their existing workforce through better use of space. The Government has already hired more than 1,500 extra GPs and announced an £889 million funding boost, the biggest for the sector in years.
To ensure good management of public money, the schemes that have been selected will of course be subject to final business case approvals and due diligence. Integrated care boards and GP federations will not be able to unilaterally realign the schemes which have already been agreed, however if an individual surgery is not able to proceed, then local leaders will select another priority scheme to utilise the funding.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 GP practices with (a) poor building quality, (b) insufficient capacity and (c) other significant estate issues are allocated funding through future rounds of the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments, to ensure we have world class infrastructure across the entire NHS estate.
We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, supporting improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity, and enabling delivery of more appointments. Further support for NHS organisations delivering local and national priorities beyond this financial year is being considered as part of the Government’s Spending Review.
However, general practices are not reimbursed for service charges nor additionally funded to undertake maintenance and improvements, and are independent contractors who should fund investment in maintaining their estate by utilising their own funds, borrowing, or through partnerships with third party developers.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in providing adequate protection for residents from unsuitable apparatus and lines of (a) Part 11 and (b) Part 12 of the Electronic Communications Code.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Electronic Communications Code provides rights and obligations intended to facilitate the installation and maintenance of electronic communications networks, subject to conditions and restrictions set out in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has powers to take enforcement action against any breaches of the 2003 Regulations.
Nonetheless, I am aware of community concerns with the deployment of new broadband infrastructure. Following my meeting with the industry, the Telecommunications Poles Working Group Best Practice Recommendations have been published, which includes an industry commitment to always consider the interests of communities.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken to hold operators to account on their progress since the UK Network Operator industry roundtable discussion on 12 September 2024.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Electronic Communications Code provides rights and obligations intended to facilitate the installation and maintenance of electronic communications networks, subject to conditions and restrictions set out in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has powers to take enforcement action against any breaches of the 2003 Regulations.
Nonetheless, I am aware of community concerns with the deployment of new broadband infrastructure. Following my meeting with the industry, the Telecommunications Poles Working Group Best Practice Recommendations have been published, which includes an industry commitment to always consider the interests of communities.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to enable parents who need to withdraw their child from school when SEND support is insufficient to do so.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Parents have a right to educate a child of compulsory school age otherwise than at school, provided that the education is suitable. Home education can be demanding and so should only ever be an informed and positive choice. If their child is in a mainstream school, parents can withdraw their child by notifying the school that they wish to home educate. If their child is in a special school under arrangements made by a local authority, then the parent must first seek local authority consent. This additional check is not intended to keep children in a setting that does not meet their needs, but rather to ensure that there are no educational suitability issues resulting from the loss of the support at the school.
If parents have concerns that their child’s special educational needs (SEN) are not being met in school, then they should discuss these concerns with the school. If their child has an education, health and care plan, then they should also talk to their local authority. In either case, the package of support may need to be reviewed.
The department is aware of the challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities SEND system, and the government has been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with recruitment agencies on compliance with their new responsibilities in relation to umbrella company legislation by April 2026.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is introducing legislation to close the tax gap and make the tax system fairer by making recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay. As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, this is expected to protect around £2.8 billion from being lost to umbrella company non-compliance across the scorecard period to 2029-30.
Officials have engaged extensively with representatives of the recruitment industry in relation to this measure and will continue to do so.
The government will set out full details of how this measure will operate, alongside draft legislation, later this year. The government will engage with stakeholders to ensure that they have the opportunity to provide feedback before legislation is introduced into Parliament.
The government is committed to supporting businesses to prepare for the implementation of this measure and, to this end, will publish technical guidance for businesses that will be affected by it.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Lawn Tennis Association on the implementation of the 2024–2029 padel strategy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I have regular discussions with national governing bodies of sport, including the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), on a range of issues including padel, and I welcome their strategic ambition to grow padel by making it accessible, welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 through the NHS 10 year plan to increase the number of NHS midwives.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, and how we ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
Getting the NHS back to working for patients means ending the workforce crisis across the health service. We intend to take a fresh look at the Long Term Workforce Plan, to ensure it fully aligns with the level of ambition and reforms required following the 10-Year Health Plan. Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual NHS trusts.