Ben Obese-Jecty

This is a proposed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and is currently at the pre-application stage of the Planning Act 2008 consent process. This is when the applicant starts to create their application and is required to consult with people and organisations in the area. We understand that the developer intends to hold four public consultation events, starting in early October 2024.

The application is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate between January and March 2025.

The primary PE and sport premium will continue in the 2024/25 academic year and, as in previous years, individual school allocations will be confirmed when the department issues updated guidance later in the term.

The Department is aware of long-standing local aspirations for an East Coast Main Line station at Alconbury Weald that would align with the new housing being developed in the area. The Secretary of State announced that she has commissioned an internal review of the Department's capital portfolio. This will support the development of a long-term strategy for transport, that delivers a modern and integrated network with people at its heart. It will consider a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects, to ensure that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time, supporting our strategic objectives. I encourage any project proposal to consider how the scheme links to wider government commitments concerning economic growth, but regret that I am not yet able to comment on individual schemes or proposals at this time.

The Pension Credit data is based on the 2010 Westminster Parliamentary constituencies, not 2024 in order to be comparable with the Winter Fuel Payments statistics.

The estimated number of pensioners in Huntingdon constituency who will lose Winter Fuel Payments is 21,148, this equates to a proportion of 93%. This is based on Feb-24 Pension Credit statistics and 22/23 Winter Fuel Payment statistics, (sources below).

The estimation is calculated by subtracting the number of Pension Credit recipients for Huntingdon Constituency (2010 boundary) from the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients for Huntingdon constituency. Please note that Pension Credit claimants are the majority of those that will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments, not all. There are other pensioners who are eligible for Winter Fuel Payments (as they claim other means tested benefits) but they are not considered in these figures as it is not possible to do so.

Furthermore, the above does not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up we might see as a result of the policy change (means testing Winter fuel payments to those on Pension Credit and other means tested benefits). We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims by Parliamentary constituencies or local authorities.

Also, the published Pension Credit figures refer to households rather than individuals, so the number of individuals claiming Pension Credit, will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where it is a couple claiming Pension Credit).

Sources used:

winter-fuel-payments-caseload-2022-to-2023.ods (live.com)

Stat-Xplore - Table View (dwp.gov.uk) (Feb-24 data)

We do not hold the information in the format requested.

The Department does not currently hold this information. However, the national guidance for the National Health Service’s clinical waste strategy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-clinical-waste-strategy/

Organisations across integrated care systems, such as NHS trusts, would have their own policies on how to enact this guidance.

We must reset the New Hospital Programme to put it on a sustainable footing, however we are clear that replacing hospitals built wholly or mostly with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, including Hinchingbrooke Hospital, is the priority.

We are undertaking a full review of the programme to provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery, and to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England. The review will be completed this autumn, and once concluded, Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the programme.

Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024. This service uses Patient Group Directions to enable pharmacists to supply certain prescription-only medication, where appropriate, based on specific eligibility criteria, and in line with best practice. Patients should be referred to a prescriber, such as a general practitioner, for treatment, if they meet one of the exclusion criteria.

Any pharmacist prescribing services will build on Pharmacy First and will be delivered by pharmacists that have undertaken additional training to become independent prescribers. This will enable them to provide support and prescribe medication for a wider range of conditions and cohorts of patients. NHS England is working with all integrated care boards to pilot how prescribing can work in community pharmacy.

The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 was not concluded by the previous government, and we are looking at this as a matter of urgency.

Drug Tariff payments are reviewed regularly with adjustments made on a regular basis to reimbursement prices for medicines and appliances, and fees, when appropriate.

Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024. This service uses Patient Group Directions to enable pharmacists to supply certain prescription-only medication, where appropriate, based on specific eligibility criteria, and in line with best practice. Patients should be referred to a prescriber, such as a general practitioner, for treatment, if they meet one of the exclusion criteria.

Any pharmacist prescribing services will build on Pharmacy First and will be delivered by pharmacists that have undertaken additional training to become independent prescribers. This will enable them to provide support and prescribe medication for a wider range of conditions and cohorts of patients. NHS England is working with all integrated care boards to pilot how prescribing can work in community pharmacy.

The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 was not concluded by the previous government, and we are looking at this as a matter of urgency.

Drug Tariff payments are reviewed regularly with adjustments made on a regular basis to reimbursement prices for medicines and appliances, and fees, when appropriate.

In January, the UK paused funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) following allegations that 19 staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attack.

Catherine Colonna conducted an independent review that found the existing UNRWA framework was "robust", but neutrality issues persisted. UNRWA committed to implementing all recommendations. The Foreign Secretary was subsequently reassured that UNRWA is committed to the highest standards of neutrality. The Foreign Secretary called the UN Secretary-General on 18 July to discuss funding to UNRWA. He then announced resumption of funding to UNRWA on 19 July. The UN's Office of Internal Services Oversight (OIOS) led an investigation into the specific allegations against individual staff members. On 5 August, OIOS findings concluded that nine members of UNRWA may have been involved in the atrocities. We welcome UNRWA's action to terminate the contracts of these individuals.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll-out 350 banking hubs across the UK, which will provide individuals and businesses with critical cash and banking services.

Over 60 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by the end of the year.

The specific location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network. LINK considers criteria such as whether another bank branch remains nearby, the local population, the number of cash-accepting businesses and the financial vulnerability of the community.

The final Local Government Settlement 2024/25 has determined that overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion this year to continue protecting our communities at the highest standard. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Authority will have core spending power of £38.5 million with an increase of £2.1 million or 5.9 per cent in cash terms compared to 2023/24.

It is the responsibility of each fire and rescue authority to determine how to allocate that funding based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. Decisions on future local authority funding will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement.

In the meantime, the Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services can keep the public safe.

The government will consider police funding, including the allocation of funding to forces, in the round as part of the Spending Review process.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality is published in table Asy_D02 of the 'Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets' and data on asylum-related returns by nationality is published in Ret_04 of the ‘Returns summary tables’.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of each workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending June 2024.

Data up to September 2024 will be released on 28 November 2024. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

The Home Office also publishes data on asylum appeals by nationality in tables Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined detailed datasets’. Appeals data for April 2023 onwards is not available due to ongoing work on a new case working system. Updated data will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics release.

The Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is supported by a commitment to introduce additional 13,000 police personnel into neighbourhood policing. This will be achieved through the recruitment of thousands of additional Police Constables, Police Community Support Officers, and Special Constables, as well as the redeployment of thousands of current Police Constables, into neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales.

This will provide every community a named local officer to turn to and ensure that there is appropriate resource to tackle the crimes that most impact communities, including anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.

We want to deliver this additional support as quickly as possible and are working at pace alongside policing partners to devise the right model for implementation. We will set out further plans shortly.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 July 2024 to Question 121 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge).