Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with Medway NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) May 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Provider level consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times data is published on the NHS England website at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/
Data is published approximately six weeks after the end of the referenced month.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) May 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Provider level consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times data is published on the NHS England website at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/
Data is published approximately six weeks after the end of the referenced month.
The number of incomplete pathways is not the same as the number of patients waiting, as an individual patient may be on multiple pathways.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 support grassroots football clubs in Chatham and Aylesford constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing £85 million throughout 2026/27 through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide.
Since FY 24/25, DCMS has distributed £12,713 to support the improvement of grassroots footballing facilities in Chatham and Aylesford: supporting investment in floodlights at Wouldham All-Saints CEP School and goalposts at Lordswood Sports and Social Club, Larkfield Sports Club and Swingate Primary School.
We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what grassroots sports facilities each community needs to inform future investment.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 the change to police pension commutation rates on officers (a) at and (b) near retirement; and what (i) notice and (ii) consultation was provided to affected officers prior to implementation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There have been no changes to the rules which govern pension commutation in the 1987 police pension scheme. That scheme provides for actuarially neutral commutation, which is achieved using factors provided by the scheme actuary.
Public service pension schemes regularly review scheme factors when there is a change to assumptions used to value pension benefits.
The law is clear that any change in the commutation factors take effect from the date they are prepared and there is no statutory basis for delay.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 potential impact of applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model to advertising and promotions restrictions on food inflation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the concerns about rising costs associated with the conflict in the Middle East. On 21 April, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the Government's approach to support for businesses and families with the impacts of the conflict.
Regulations relating to the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) are not major drivers of food price inflation.
We have launched a consultation on the proposed application of the updated NPM to advertising and promotions restrictions, open until 17 June. A consultation-stage impact assessment, setting out the direct costs to businesses and the intended health outcomes, was published alongside this.
The current NPM is approximately 20 years out of date and does not reflect the latest evidence, particularly on free sugars, which are more strongly correlated with poor health outcomes, including obesity.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the distribution of medicines margin across the community pharmacy sector; and when the outcomes of that assessment will be published.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not assess the distribution of medicine margin across the community pharmacy sector. However, as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework funding settlement 2025/26, the Department committed to a range actions to try to deliver medicine margin more fairly across pharmacy contractors and reduce over delivery which included improving and validating the medicines margin survey to underpin work on medicines margin distribution.
Further, along with Community Pharmacy England, representative body of community pharmacies, the Department assesses the overall medicines margin retained through a quarterly medicine margin survey which samples independent pharmacy contractors’ sale invoices to identify the actual price they paid for a sample of medicines and compares this with the amount reimbursed by the National Health Service. Comparison of the margin that is found in the margin survey, along with the amount of margin set as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, determines whether there needs to be any adjustments to payments made to community pharmacies.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made a recent comparative assessment of the adequacy of Vehicle Excise Duty treatment for (a) motorcycles and (b) cars; and if she will review the basis on which motorcycles are taxed.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
VED, sometimes known as 'road tax' or 'car tax', is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. Different VED rates apply to cars, vans, and motorcycles, and the rate for each vehicle is calculated according to a range of factors, such as its date of first registration, weight, or CO2 emissions. Revenue from motoring taxes helps to fund vital public services and infrastructure, including investment in roads and transport.
VED for motorcycles is currently based on engine size. There are four engine size ranges, with the lowest rate applying to zero emission motorcycles and the smallest engines sized 150cc or less (currently £27). The highest rate applies to engines sized 600cc and above (currently £125). This compares with the standard rate for cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 which is currently £200. Motorcycles also do not pay different rates in the first year of purchase, unlike cars where first year rates vary from £10 to £5,690 for the most polluting vehicles.
The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public finances.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support farmers with the increasing rising cost of fertiliser as a result of the conflict in Iran.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has asked the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to increase the frequency of its fertiliser price reporting. AHDB now publishes data on their Fertiliser Price page weekly, giving farmers more up‑to‑date information to help with decision‑making. This will give farmers more timely and transparent information to support their decision-making.
Defra wants to support farmers to increase their resilience to future fertiliser price volatility by maximising the use of nutrients from both mineral fertilisers and organic materials such as slurry. Defra’s Nutrient Management Planning Tool is a free resource to help farmers plan and manage nutrient use and reduce costs by matching inputs to crop and soil needs.
Defra has committed £120 million in funding starting in 2026 to improve productivity, trial new technologies and drive innovation in the agricultural sector. This includes up to £50 million for Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) grants (for the 2026 scheme covering productivity, slurry and animal health and welfare) and up to £70 million available for Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) innovation grants.
This funding can help farmers use nutrients from fertilisers and their own organic materials most effectively to increase resilience.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role her Department has in supporting investigations into deaths of people abroad who held Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK but were not British citizens; and what guidance is provided to UK authorities on cooperating with relevant foreign authorities where questions arise regarding investigative jurisdiction.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government publishes information on the support that can be provided overseas on GOV.UK, including information about how departments and agencies work together when a British person is a victim of murder or manslaughter overseas. Questions about UK investigations are a matter for the police.
Asked by: Tristan Osborne (Labour - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase the production of domestic clean power in supporting energy security.
Answered by Ed Miliband - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
We are accelerating investment in homegrown clean power to boost energy security and cut exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets. In response to this crisis, we’re bringing forward the next renewables auction to July, introducing low‑cost “plug‑in solar” for households, and we will implement the Fingleton Review to speed up delivery of critical zero carbon infrastructure.