Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Fit for the Future, published by the Royal College of General Practitioners in May 2023, whether he is taking steps to (a) increase the amount of space available for GP surgeries to operate in under current conditions and (b) secure additional space for training GPs in the future; and whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to increase the level of funding available for upgrading NHS premises.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government has allocated over £4 billion annually in capital funding to systems to invest in maintaining the National Health Service estate and address safety issues. In addition, in our primary care recovery plan we committed to changing local authority planning guidance to raise the profile of primary care facilities when planners are considering how developer contributions and funds from new housing developments are allocated.
We want general practitioners (GPs) to deliver the best quality of care to patients and will continue our work to assess what is needed to enable them to deliver services effectively in GP premises. As part of the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and the planned recruitment drive, we will consider the best use of GP premises to meet the needs of growing and ageing populations and the expanding healthcare teams needed to support them.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies were re-brokered in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (b) 2023; and for what reasons each academy was re-brokered.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Between 2021 and 2023, 649 academies have transferred trust. The below table provides detail on the reasons for transfer. Further information is available via the Academy Transfers and Funding publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/academy-transfers-and-funding.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Due to Intervention | 40 | 32 | 24 |
Transfer Initiated by Trust | 135 | 162 | 179 |
Sponsor Closure | 26 | 41 | 10 |
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of diagnosis of terminal and likely terminal health conditions on travel insurance rates offered to consumers.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Insurers make commercial decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. The Government does not intend to intervene in these commercial decisions by insurers as this could damage competition in the market. The respective capabilities of insurers to assess risk is a key element on which they compete.
The Government recognises that it is important that everyone has access to suitable insurance. Since April 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has required firms to signpost consumers to a directory of specialist providers if they are declined cover, offered cover with an exclusion, or charged a significantly higher premium based on their pre-existing medical conditions.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include proposals to tackle the socioeconomic causes of health inequalities in the Major Conditions Strategy.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Strategy’s approach will be rooted in the best understanding of the evidence to tackle the major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, namely Cancers; Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and diabetes; Chronic respiratory diseases; Dementia; Mental ill health and Musculoskeletal disorders.
These areas account for around 60% of total Disability Adjusted Life Years in England. Tackling them is critical to achieving our manifesto commitment of gaining five extra years of Healthy Life Expectancy by 2035, and our levelling up mission to narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy in the least and most deprived areas by 2030 which should take account of socio-economic factors.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing trauma-informed training specific to the experiences of asylum-seekers and refugees for staff in the public sector.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In April 2021 a £1m spending review allocation was obtained to support the mental health and wellbeing of adult asylum seekers.
In September 2022 we contracted an external organisation of clinical psychologists, experienced in co-developing evidence-based mental health and wellbeing strategies, to explore how Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) could be embedded into asylum processes from first point of contact to asylum decision undertaken by the Home Office, whilst optimising outcomes of the process.
We prioritised far-reaching collaboration to shape recommendations. Intrinsic to this was operationalising governance structures involving internal stakeholders, health bodies, the UNHCR, Devolved Administrations, NGOs and people with lived experience of claiming asylum. We facilitated open discussion and generated informed contributions by sharing relevant information at every stage of the process with our partner group giving stakeholders opportunity to scrutinise, co-create and legitimise recommendations demonstrating objectivity and flexibility to reshape and re-frame their work in response to asylum policy changes.
This review and design phase was completed in March 2023. In April 2023 we launched the next phase of the programme, this work will continue until March 2025.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on mental health support services that are available to asylum seekers and refugees.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Home Office and other Government departments to support access to mental health support services by asylum seekers and refugees.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps with the devolved Administrations to develop a UK-wide strategy for refugee integration.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Integration is a devolved matter.
We discussed funding arrangements with the Devolved Administrations on the recently launched Refugee Employability Programme (REP) in order to ensure refugees across the UK are supported. The REP is a new integration and employability support service to help refugees integrate into society and become self-sufficient.
We continue to engage regularly with the Devolved Administrations on a range of matters, including refugee integration, to collaborate, share best practice and discuss appropriate funding mechanisms where relevant.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish the next review of the asylum-support allowance.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office annually reviews the level of the asylum support rate to assess the correct level of financial support that should be provided to meet essential living needs.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to incorporate mental health support and prevention in the Major Conditions Strategy.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Mental Health is one of the group of conditions included in the Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will aim to identify actions in the areas of prevention, treatment and long term management of care to improve outcomes for individuals across the six major condition groups.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford and Eccles)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential correlation between temporary housing and low child mortality rates.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We are aware of National Child Mortality Database research on housing conditions, poverty and potential correlations with Sudden and Unexpected Deaths of Infants. We cannot emphasise enough that every family and child should live in suitable, safe housing.
Local authorities must ensure temporary accommodation is suitable in relation to all members of a household.
We are pursuing a number of housing reforms which will increase quality and regulation across all housing stock, including temporary accommodation. This includes reviewing the Decent Homes Standard, The Social Housing Regulation Bill and Renters reform.