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 merits of reforming GP licensing; and if he will develop plans to protect GPs from costs when practices fail financially.

We have committed to substantive GP contract reform within Parliament following acceptance of the 2025/26 contract by the England general practitioners committee of the British Medical Association. As part of this, we expect to consider a breadth of topics, which may include updates to the partnership model.

Practices with a General Medical Services contract are eligible for rent reimbursements, with different terms depending on the ownership or occupation arrangements for the property, as set out in the Premises Costs Directions 2024. The commissioner has discretion to provide further financial assistance if other costs rise exponentially, such as service charges, all budget-dependent.