Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Landmark plan to rebuild NHS in working-class communities of 25 June 2025, what definition his Department plans to use for working-class communities.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10-Year Health Plan has set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it.

The 10-Year Health Plan refers both to “working class jobs” and “working class communities”, as do other more recent publications. These terms are used in the standard way they are used in English to indicate people who are employed for wages and generally experience greater job insecurity, lower benefits, and less financial security than others in society.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to p.81 of the 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of triage using AI on the NHS App for each patient.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are currently developing our plans in response to the 10-Year Health Plan commitments to support artificial intelligence (AI) assisted triage. We will do so following stringent clinical safety standards as outlined in the NHS Service Standard, as well as rigorous evaluations of health outcomes and operational impact.

When developed, AI triage within the NHS App will use artificial intelligence to assess symptoms and guide patients to the most appropriate care, whether it's self-care, booking an appointment, or seeking other help.

The NHS operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Health Research Authority, and Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are deployed safely and effectively within healthcare settings. Additionally, continuous monitoring after deployment is essential to ensure long-term safety of AI solutions, so we are working closely with regulators to identify new measures for mitigating risk and providing assurance. We are also leading on shaping a regulatory landscape that ensures AI technologies are safe, transparent and work for everyone.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54102 on Schools: Flood Control, whether her Department has had discussions with Kimberley College in Stewartby on flood protections.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

To date no correspondence has been received from the college on this matter, therefore my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education can confirm the department’s Schools Water Strategy has not held discussions with Kimberley College on flood protections.

The department has invested in measures to reduce risk to flooding at over 600 schools to the end of 2024/25 and through the Schools Water Strategy, we continue to invest in flood prevention in schools at risk of flooding in line with our published Sustainability and Climate Change strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 12 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, how long individualised genomic data for newborns will be retained.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambition to offer newborn genomic testing as part of routine care within the next decade. Delivering against this ambition will be subject to evidence gathered through the Generation Study. This research programme is evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for more than 200 rare genetic conditions.

With parental consent, data is stored securely in the existing National Genomic Research Library which, with patient consent, already stores genomic data from the NHS Genomic Medicine Service to support ethical research. The study is exploring the risks and benefits of storing an individual's genome over their lifetime. Therefore, genomic data will be stored throughout the child’s life, unless consent is withdrawn. Consent is an ongoing process, and parents can withdraw their child at any time before the age of 16 years old, when the child will be asked to re-consent. The study will deliver an evaluation report which will inform future policy decisions around the storage of personal, including genomic, data.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Post Office branch in Flitwick.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government does not intervene in decisions regarding the location of Post Office branches, as this remains an operational matter for Post Office Limited. However, the Government-set Access Criteria ensure that, regardless of changes to the network, postal services remain within local reach for all citizens. These criteria require that 99% of the UK population must be within three miles of their nearest Post Office outlet, and 90% must be within one mile. The post office network continues to meet and exceed Government-set Access Criteria at a national level.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission of (a) district council and (b) county council boundaries in two tier areas since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England typically starts 25 reviews a year. With each review taking approximately 15 months to complete, around 50 can be in progress at any time.

In February 2025, following the issuing of a statutory invitation to submit unitary proposals to all two-tier authorities, the Commission took the decision to pause all live reviews in those areas.

In the period between July 2024 and February 2025, 23 reviews of district councils were in progress. Based on the average cost per stage of a review of a district council, the Commission estimates that it spent up to £368,000 on these reviews during this period.

Additionally, six county council reviews were completed as planned within this timeframe. Based on the average cost per stage of a review of a county council, the Commission estimates that it spent up to £137,000 on these reviews during this period.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many face-to-face GP appointments were there in each of the past three years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the past three years, the number of face-to-face GP appointments were as follows:

• 12 months to August 2023: 100.1 million appointments
• 12 months to August 2024: 101.2 million appointments
• 12 months to August 2025: 99 million appointments

These appointments do not include COVID-19 vaccinations, and a small number of Primary Care Network appointments that could not be allocated to an integrated care board have been excluded.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department considered intervening in the closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK, in the context of previous interventions in British Steel.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK in June 2025 and the loss of 250 jobs was a great disappointment.

In the lead up to the final decision to close, HMG was significantly involved at ministerial and official level to broker a deal between EGF UK’s parent company, Nippon Electric Glass, to facilitate a sale with a few interested parties, those interactions were constructive but ultimately the parent company took the decision to close. This was not the outcome we would have wished to have seen, ultimately it was a business decision.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of restoring the village GP.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to bringing back the family doctor for patients who would likely benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer Accident and Emergency attendances.

Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a general practitioner. We will end the 8am scramble for appointments, train more doctors and guarantee consultations within 24 hours for those who need one. These measures will help practices offer both continuity where it’s needed and timely access for all patients.

We will give integrated care boards as commissioners the power to determine what is best for their local population and will not gatekeep specific arrangements. We will work with the profession to ensure the benefits of at scale working and continuity are combined effectively.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how new GP surgeries will be set up under his 10 Year Health Plan.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our aim of establishing a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community, open at least 12 hours a day and 6 days a week, and with services that are fully data and digitally enabled, will revitalise access to general practice.

To establish NHCs, we will use public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, maximising value for money and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most. Integrated care boards will be key as strategic commissioners in identifying where NHCs are required and defining their requirements in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.

We are investing an additional £102 million of capital funding to upgrade existing general practice premises this year. Further details about how we will deliver NHCs and continue to invest in general practice will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of housing costs on the recruitment of health staff, in the context of his plans for a Neighbourhood Health Service.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns or deprived inner cities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Millions more appointments as more than 2,000 extra GPs recruited, published on 24 July 2025, how many of those GPs are working in Bedfordshire.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As of 31 August 2025, 48 newly qualified GPs have been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme since October 2024 in NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the reasons for the difficulties in the recruitment of health staff in rural areas, in the context of his plans for a Neighbourhood Health Service.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have found that people tend to settle and practice in areas where they train, as identified on page 209 of the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2021 – Health in Coastal Communities, which is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60f98750e90e0703bbd94a41/cmo-annual_report-2021-health-in-coastal-communities-accessible.pdf

A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan is our workforce and how we ensure that we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure the National Health Service needs to care for patients across our communities, including rural and coastal areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the difference in saving between (a) a clustered ICB and (b) an ICB merger, in the context of ICB re-organisation in the East of England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) should engage with all other organisations within their integrated care partnership, including with local authorities, to ensure they are involved where there are boundary changes.

Clustering ICBs remain separate organisations and so must necessarily continue to duplicate some activities, which is unwieldy. Mergers allow those inefficiencies to be removed and brings stability for leaders, staff, and partners. It is not possible to estimate the difference in savings between clusters and mergers because these may vary in footprints, in starting points, and in transition arrangements.

When NHS England decides on ICB mergers, it must take into account its wider duties, including duties relating to value for money and equalities. These will be considered in decision making, but NHS England is not required to publish impact assessments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out how the role of multi-neighbourhood providers will differ from that of ICBs, in the context of the 10 Year Health Plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) will act primarily as strategic commissioners of services to their local populations and will not be providing services directly to the public. They will be working to ensure the best possible care is delivered through commissioned providers with a focus on long-term strategic planning.

The multi-neighbourhood providers will be a voluntary provider arrangement for the delivery of coordinated services across a place or multiple neighbourhoods (populations of around 250,000), acting as a link between local general practice services and ICBs and trusts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish an impact assessment on the proposed creation of a Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Hertfordshire ICB.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) should engage with all other organisations within their integrated care partnership, including with local authorities, to ensure they are involved where there are boundary changes.

Clustering ICBs remain separate organisations and so must necessarily continue to duplicate some activities, which is unwieldy. Mergers allow those inefficiencies to be removed and brings stability for leaders, staff, and partners. It is not possible to estimate the difference in savings between clusters and mergers because these may vary in footprints, in starting points, and in transition arrangements.

When NHS England decides on ICB mergers, it must take into account its wider duties, including duties relating to value for money and equalities. These will be considered in decision making, but NHS England is not required to publish impact assessments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what engagement he has had with local authorities in Bedfordshire on plans for ICB re-organisation in the East of England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) should engage with all other organisations within their integrated care partnership, including with local authorities, to ensure they are involved where there are boundary changes.

Clustering ICBs remain separate organisations and so must necessarily continue to duplicate some activities, which is unwieldy. Mergers allow those inefficiencies to be removed and brings stability for leaders, staff, and partners. It is not possible to estimate the difference in savings between clusters and mergers because these may vary in footprints, in starting points, and in transition arrangements.

When NHS England decides on ICB mergers, it must take into account its wider duties, including duties relating to value for money and equalities. These will be considered in decision making, but NHS England is not required to publish impact assessments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate she has made of the of the average customer response times at HM Revenue & Customs.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC regularly publishes its performance on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.

Attendance of the Attorney General at the Bar of the House on the Chinese espionage case

Found: Liberal Democrat; Richmond Park) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Oliver Ryan (Labour; Burnley) Blake Stephenson

Found: Liberal Democrat; Richmond Park) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Oliver Ryan (Labour; Burnley) Blake Stephenson

Found: Hertfordshire) Martin Rhodes (Labour; Glasgow North) Dr Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat; South Cotswolds) Blake Stephenson