Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his diary for 16 November 2023.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 16454 on 6th March 2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2024 to Question 16659 on Blood: Contamination, how much members of the expert group who are not legal experts will be paid.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As set out in my response to Question 16659, members of the expert group will receive remuneration for their work. However, the Government will not be releasing the details of how much individual members of the expert group are being paid.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that patients affected by unexpected closures of NHS dental practices can still access dental care.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We want to make sure that everyone needing a National Health Service dentist can access one. Our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry will make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for patients and will fund approximately 2.5 million additional appointments, or more than 1.5 million additional courses of dental treatment. This is especially important for those who live in rural or coastal communities where we know access can be particularly challenging.

Our plan includes a new Golden Hello scheme for dentists who want to move to those areas which persistently struggle to attract dentists into NHS work. A Golden Hello of £20,000 will be offered per dentist, for a total of up to 240 dentists.

There are other measures in our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will help to improve access across all areas of the country. The new patient premium is designed to support dentists to see patients who may not have seen an NHS dentist for some time, and is offered in recognition of the additional time that may be needed for practices to assess, stabilise, and manage patients’ oral health needs. We will also raise the minimum Units of Dental Activity rate from £23 to £28 supporting practices across the country to deliver more NHS care.

Patients unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance. NHS dentists are now required to update their NHS website profiles regularly, at least every 90 days, to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental practices handed back their NHS contract in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. This included the transfer of all funding, Units of Dental Activity, and the management responsibility for National Health Service dentistry.

As set out in Our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, we are working on further reforms to the 2006 contract, in discussion with the dental profession, to properly reflect the care needed by different patients, and more fairly remunerate practices. We expect to develop options for consultation with the dental profession in advance of a further announcement later this year. Any changes would be phased in from 2025 onwards. We do not hold data centrally on how many dental practices handed back their NHS contract in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of ear cropping of dogs were (a) reported, (b) investigated and (c) charged in 2023.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects information on the number of offences of ‘Carrying out, permitting, causing to be carried out or failing to prevent prohibited procedure on a protected animal’ and their investigative outcomes, recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis. The latest information is available up to the end of September 2023.

This shows that there were 16 offences of ‘Carrying out, permitting, causing to be carried out or failing to prevent prohibited procedure on a protected animal’ offences recorded in the first nine months of 2023. Of these cases eight resulted in the investigation being complete with charge or summonsed. Four cases are still under investigation.

Table 1, Carrying out, permitting, permitting, causing to be caried out, or failing to prevent prohibited procedure on a protected animal, England and Wales, January 2023 to September 2023

*Excluding West Midlands, Humberside and Devon and Cornwall Police Force

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution by the Leader of the House at Business Questions on 7 March 2024, Official Report, column 974, how (a) individual people and (b) organisations can register to meet him during his tour on the infected blood scandal.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I am committed to engaging with the Infected Blood community and updating Parliament on progress of the Government response to the Infected Blood Inquiry as appropriate. Plans are currently being developed at my request to meet those infected and affected by Infected Blood across the United Kingdom to talk about their priorities ahead of the publication of the Inquiry’s final report. Further information on this will be shared soon.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution by the Leader of the House at Business Questions on 7 March 2024, Official Report, column 974, where he plans to visit as part of his tour on the infected blood scandal; and when he will be undertaking this tour.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I am committed to engaging with the Infected Blood community and updating Parliament on progress of the Government response to the Infected Blood Inquiry as appropriate. Plans are currently being developed at my request to meet those infected and affected by Infected Blood across the United Kingdom to talk about their priorities ahead of the publication of the Inquiry’s final report. Further information on this will be shared soon.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when building work is planned to start at Hall Road Academy in Kingston upon Hull.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Hall Road Academy was announced in December 2022 as part of Round 4 of the School Rebuilding Programme. The project will commence before April 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2024 to Question 17717 on Infected Blood Inquiry: Pay, on what dates the expert group has met.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Infected Blood Inquiry response expert group meets weekly and have met in full seven times as of 20th March. As the work of the expert group relates to the formulation and development of Government policy, their advice, evidence and methodologies as well as the terms of reference, minutes and agendas of their meetings have not been published at this time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates four nations ministerial meetings have taken place on the topic of infected blood in the last 12 months.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I, and my predecessors in this role, have met with Ministers across the four nations a number of times in the last 12 months, and will be doing so again ahead of tabling a Government amendment for Report Stage of the Victims and Prisoners Bill.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken help tackle the import of dogs with cropped ears since 1 January 2024.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears or the docking of their tails. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost of establishing an appeal body for asylum applications processed in Rwanda under the UK-Rwanda treaty.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

We are working at pace with the Government of Rwanda to establish an appeal body for asylum applications. More details on this will be released in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on (a) how many occasions and (b) which dates (i) he and (ii) Ministers in his Department have visited Brook House Immigration Removal Centre since 9 September 2017.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

Brook House Immigration Removal Centre has been visited by four Home Office Ministers from 2018-24.

18 January 2018 – Immigration Minister

30 June 2022 – Lords Minister of State

28 August 2022 – Minister for Illegal Migration

5 February 2024 – Minister for Countering Illegal Migration

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

We are revising the Fire National Framework for England to embed the reforms set out in the Government Response to the White Paper. The Framework sets priorities and objectives for Fire and Rescue Authorities in England in connection with the discharge of their functions. We are engaging partners to shape our proposals and key themes.

We intend to launch a public consultation on the revisions later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on (a) how many occasions and (b) what dates he has intervened in a fire and rescue authority under section 22 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 since 2010.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Fire policy transferred from the Department for Communities and Local Government to the Home Office on 5 January 2016. Since then, there have been no formal interventions in the operations of a fire and rescue authority by the Secretary of State in England under section 22 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. We do not hold any information for the period prior to the machinery of government changes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times since 26 October 2022 the Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire has met (a) current and (b) former firefighters who have experienced bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment at work.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire has prioritised engagement with the sector on integrity matters. This has included Chief Fire Officers, Fire and Rescue Authority Chairs, His Majesty’s Inspectorate, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Local Government Association and representative groups such as the Fire Brigades Union. In addition to regularly meeting frontline firefighters and police officers when visiting fire and police stations.

He will continue to meet with sector leaders to hear first-hand on these issues.

The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire has corresponded with both current and former staff in fire and rescue services, who have raised concerns regarding bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

The Home Office will continue to call for action to ensure fire and rescue services are welcoming, respectful workplaces that enable all individuals who work in them to thrive.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what functions the office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders is able to undertake while the post of Independent Chief Inspector is vacant.

Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)

The office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has a clear plan of work, comprising of inspection activity, pre-inspection scoping activity, and non-inspection/corporate work that can continue whilst the post remains vacant.

A new Chief Inspector will be appointed in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. A recruitment campaign is underway, and an appointment will be made as soon as practically possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many training places for pharmacists in England there were in each year since 2010.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The number of training places for pharmacists in England is uncapped and determined each year by health education providers. The following table shows the number of starters on the Foundation Pharmacist Training Scheme, which is the final year of training and must be completed by all pharmacists before they can sit their registration exam, for each year since 2010/2011:

Source: General Pharmaceutical Council

Note: Data may include trainees studying in England, but upon successful completion, they may register in other areas of the United Kingdom.

As set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, the ambition is to expand training places for pharmacists by 29% to approximately 4,300 by 2028/29, and to almost 5,000 by 2031/32.

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