Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding he has allocated to compensate those infected and affected by contaminated blood.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government committed £11.8bn in compensation to people who were infected and affected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal. We estimate that the specific changes announced following the public consultation on the infected blood compensation scheme will cost in the region of £1bn in compensation payments.
These figures are a broad estimate, which reflects the inherent uncertainty in predicting the exact number of eligible claimants who will come forward. This estimate is neither a target nor a limit, and every eligible person will get the compensation they are due.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the new service specification for haemophilia and related bleeding disorders has not been published; and when it will be published.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The revised service specification for haemophilia and related bleeding disorders has been developed through NHS England's established governance process, including stakeholder testing, public consultation, and consideration by the relevant specialised commissioning governance groups. Following completion of these governance steps, the specification has been progressing through NHS England's approval processes prior to release.
NHS England expects publication to take place once these final internal publication arrangements have been completed.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle skills shortages in areas historically impacted by deindustrialisation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are strengthening the skills system so people of all ages can gain the qualifications needed for jobs in a changing economy.
Skills England leads on work to identify skills needs, simplify the system, and align training with labour‑market demand. It also works with the both the Department for Education and Department for Business and Trade to ensure skills provision supports the government’s Industrial Strategy and key growth sectors. Additionally, Strategic Authorities have a key role in skills in their areas, and Local Skills Improvement Plans create frameworks for local collaboration between employers and providers.
The Post‑16 Education and Skills White Paper, published in 2025, sets out a vision for a world‑leading system that widens access, meets employer needs, and supports innovation. Reforms by the department include new V Levels and two clear Level 2 pathways, expanding apprenticeships, the introduction of foundation apprenticeships and a new growth and skills levy, as well as investing in higher‑level technical qualifications and providing support for priority sectors.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to encourage businesses in deprived areas historically impacted by deindustrialisation to employ people locally.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Business and Trade is committed to supporting economic growth and job creation across all parts of the United Kingdom, including in communities historically affected by deindustrialisation. The key objective of the Industrial Strategy is to drive up business investment, increase growth and create high quality jobs.
Across Government we are helping to ensure that local people have the skills that employers need, including through programmes focused on apprenticeships, skills bootcamps, and sector-based work academies.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that investment from the British Business Bank is spread evenly throughout the country.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The British Business Bank seeks to improve access to finance for businesses across the UK through both national and regional interventions. The former includes the Start Up Loans scheme, where loans have been issued in every UK parliamentary constituency, while the latter includes the Nations and Regions Investment Funds.
The Bank’s latest Impact Report found that in 2024/25, 84 per cent of businesses supported by the Bank were based outside London. Each UK nation and region is expected to benefit from an estimated additional Gross Value Added impact of at least £100 million over the lifetime of the finance provided.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to encourage a culture of economic growth in deindustrialised areas.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to improving economic growth and living standards across every part of the United Kingdom, including in communities affected by the long-term decline of industry. We are moving away from a model where growth is concentrated in a few places to one that unlocks investment in every region.
At the March 2026 Mais Lecture, the Chancellor set out plans to empower regional growth, including establishing City Investment Funds with an additional £2.3 billion of grant, loan and patient capital funding for major city regions, with up to £1.7 billion going directly to mayors in the North. Over £150 million will also be invested through the IS8 cluster (Industrial Strategy growth driving sectors) programme into five areas across the North and North East, backing growth-driving sectors where places already have strengths, to grow firms and create good local jobs. This builds on the £15.6 billion confirmed at the Spending Review for Transport for City Regions settlements, and the £5.8 billion being provided for deprived neighbourhoods across the UK through the Pride in Place Programme.
Alongside investment, the Government is tackling economic inactivity directly. We have announced further investment to unlock up to 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for young people, including a new Youth Jobs Grant and an expanded Jobs Guarantee, taking total investment in the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. Through the National Wealth Fund, the Government has invested £3.8 billion across a number of projects, creating or supporting 20,300 jobs in its first year.
Taken together, these measures are designed to raise investment, create more jobs and improve living standards in the places that have too often been left behind.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to encourage investment in areas with high economic inactivity historically impacted by deindustrialisation.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to improving economic growth and living standards across every part of the United Kingdom, including in communities affected by the long-term decline of industry. We are moving away from a model where growth is concentrated in a few places to one that unlocks investment in every region.
At the March 2026 Mais Lecture, the Chancellor set out plans to empower regional growth, including establishing City Investment Funds with an additional £2.3 billion of grant, loan and patient capital funding for major city regions, with up to £1.7 billion going directly to mayors in the North. Over £150 million will also be invested through the IS8 cluster (Industrial Strategy growth driving sectors) programme into five areas across the North and North East, backing growth-driving sectors where places already have strengths, to grow firms and create good local jobs. This builds on the £15.6 billion confirmed at the Spending Review for Transport for City Regions settlements, and the £5.8 billion being provided for deprived neighbourhoods across the UK through the Pride in Place Programme.
Alongside investment, the Government is tackling economic inactivity directly. We have announced further investment to unlock up to 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for young people, including a new Youth Jobs Grant and an expanded Jobs Guarantee, taking total investment in the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. Through the National Wealth Fund, the Government has invested £3.8 billion across a number of projects, creating or supporting 20,300 jobs in its first year.
Taken together, these measures are designed to raise investment, create more jobs and improve living standards in the places that have too often been left behind.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that support offered by Growth Hubs is not only used in places of concentrated wealth.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Growth Hub network comprises 38 local business support bodies delivered by or via local authorities in England. DBT provides funding to authorities for their Growth Hubs to deliver a core service and to act as local delivery partners for the new Business Growth Service. Hubs provide advice and access to support across a broad range of business needs for businesses of any size, sector or ownership structure within their footprint, via a free and impartial single point of contact. Authorities have the freedom to shape and enhance their Growth Hub’s support offer to meet local business and economic needs.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the Northern Powerhouse investment fund has done to increase employment in areas historically impacted by deindustrialisation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The two generations of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) support employment across the North of England by increasing access to finance for smaller businesses to start, scale and innovate.
The first NPIF delivered more than £1 billion of combined public and private sector investment to businesses across the North of England, of which £613 million was private sector investment. The Fund created more than 7,900 jobs.
Since launch, NPIF II has supported more than 400 businesses, facilitating almost £275 million of investment, and we would expect job creation across the North as under the first-generation fund.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of healthcare treatment uptake on the finances of low income households.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
There has been no specific assessment of the potential impact of healthcare treatment uptake on the finances of low-income households.
National Health Services are free at the point of use for those ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, except for certain charges, such as some NHS prescription charges and dental charges.
Many people are eligible for help with health costs. This includes exemptions for specific groups, and support through the NHS Low Income Scheme for people on a low income. Patients on a low income may also be able to get help with other necessary health-related costs, for example through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, subject to eligibility.