Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 23 July (HL9109), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, where the first 10 Neighbourhood Health Centres will be located, and when will those centres open.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have written to integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to invite applications from local places to participate in the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). As part of this, we have requested initial information on local assets that could host neighbourhood health centres (NHCs). ICBs will be key here as strategic commissioners in identifying where NHCs are required and defining their requirements in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.
Applications should be submitted by 8 August 2025; our 10-Year Health Plan sets out we will start in some of the communities where healthy life expectancy is lowest, delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government where the first 10 Neighbourhood Health Centres will be located, and when will those centres open.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.
That is why over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we will establish over 200 neighbourhood health centres nationwide, with 40 to 50 expected over the course of this Parliament.
We will start in some of the most deprived communities, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of bookmakers promoting more harmful online gaming products over sports betting as a result of the proposed Remote Betting and Gaming Duty.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three taxes that cover remote gambling, including online gambling, into one. The Government welcomes views from stakeholders as part of the consultation process.
The Government will consider all evidence provided as part of the consultation before taking a final decision on the proposed reform.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect HMP Millsike to be operating at full capacity.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMP Millsike officially opened in March 2025 and received the first cohort of prisoners on 23 April. To ensure stability, the prison will ramp up to full capacity gradually and is intended to be at full capacity by spring 2026. Ramp up will be strictly monitored and can be adjusted or paused should the safety or stability of the prison require it.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the Sea Link Project.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Sea Link project has submitted its Development Consent Order application. Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking consenting decisions for energy infrastructure proposals, it would not be appropriate to comment on specific matters related to the project, as this could be seen as prejudicing the decision-making process.
Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce overall system costs. Ofgem reviews proposed project costs and ensures that network companies spend efficiently.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reopen HMP Dartmoor, and if so when.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Dartmoor has been temporarily closed since August 2024 after radon monitoring results were higher than expected. We are working with specialist radon experts to investigate whether we can re-open the prison safely.
A decision on re-opening will be made based on the viability of the site, cost and efficiency of works to reduce levels of radon and value for the public purse.
The health and safety of prisoners and staff continues to be our top priority.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are currently registered on the EU Settlement Scheme as (1) settled, and (2) pre-settled.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The latest available statistics for the EU Settlement Scheme are for the period up to 31 March 2025 and can be found on GOV.UK here: How many grants of settlement are made via the EU Settlement Scheme? - GOV.UK.
They show that there have been just under 4.2 million grants of settled status and just under 2.9 million grants of pre-settled status since the Scheme's inception. Of these, some applicants have since progressed to settled status meaning that, as of 31 March 2025, there were approximately 1.6 million remaining people holding pre-settled status.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people with EU Settlement Scheme status are currently living in the UK.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the target time for a patient to obtain a GP appointment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to work with the National Health Service to fix the front door of our health service and ensure that everyone can access general practice (GP) appointments and services, including in Eastbourne. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a GP. The 8:00am scramble will end, we will train more doctors, and we will guarantee digital consultations within 24 hours.
The GP Contract requires practices to offer patients an assessment of need, or to signpost them to an appropriate service, on the day they contact the practice, so that patients are not asked to call back another day. An appointment may not always be clinically necessary but where this is appropriate, we expect practices to offer one within two weeks, with urgent needs seen on the same day.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have had their EU Settlement Scheme status revoked for (1) lack of residency, (2) criminal activity, and (3) any other reason.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not centrally held in an easily accessible from, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.