Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken is for GP practices to secure funding for expansion through ICBs; and how his Department plans to reduce that time.

The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.

There is no average time for securing funding for expansions as each application is treated individually and multiple factors such as planning permission, recurrent revenue funding associated with the reimbursable elements, and legal agreements to protect the investment must be considered for each application.

The Department continues to actively seek ways to improve and streamline our processes and we have announced our aim to fundamentally reform the financial system in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. In parallel, a standard, simplified Grant Agreement has been developed and is being tested for capital schemes under £144,000. This is supporting a fast-track process for securing grant agreements for relatively low value schemes. We will continue to review all elements of the premises development approvals process to help improve productivity and reduce the overall time to secure approval and deliver expansions of primary care premises.