theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_48
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_48

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will develop a longer term child poverty strategy. \p Alison McGovern: The Child Poverty Taskforce is progressing urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy, and we are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

Our focus is on bringing about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, thereby reversing the trend that is seeing forecasts of child poverty continuing to increase. More details, including on the time horizon, will be set out in the strategy publication.

We are supporting claimants to identify what support may be available including through providing extensive information on Universal Credit on Gov.uk. Additionally, we show potential customers external benefit calculators where they can identify what they are likely to be eligible for. We also work closely with Citizens Advice who provide Help to Claim support for claimants to make a claim to Universal Credit, including marketing and publicising Help to Claim support.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government's welfare reforms on (a) trends in the levels of child poverty and (b) the child poverty reduction strategy. \p Alison McGovern: The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts.

This Government have inherited unacceptably high levels of child poverty which is why delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is a priority. The Child Poverty Taskforce are progressing urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy and are exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published here alongside the Spring Statement.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_50
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_50

Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will commission research on (a) productivity, (b) sickness rates and (c) absenteeism in the (i) public and (ii) private sectors where employers offer mental health support (A) by phone, (B) online and (C) in-person through an employee assistance programme. \p Alison McGovern: In January 2025, the department launched “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces. The review is being led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. The recently published discovery report sets out that interventions such as employee assistance programmes are an area of focus for the review over the next few months. The discovery report calls for organisations providing employee assistance programmes to get in touch to share information and evidence about these programmes during the review’s engagement phase, which is ongoing until the end of May. The discovery report can be accessed here: Keep Britain Working Review: Discovery - GOV.UK

The department has previously conducted research on self-reported employee sickness absence rates in 2021. The research can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Employee research Phase 1 and 2 - GOV.UK. The research did not explore whether respondents had access to mental health support through an employee assistance programme, or mode of access to this.

The department has also previously published results from a survey which explored how employers manage mental health conditions within their organisation, although it did not collect data on productivity, sickness rates or absenteeism: Department for Work and Pensions Employer Survey 2022: research report - GOV.UK. The department has since commissioned further surveys of employers and employees about their experiences of managing health and wellbeing in the workplace, and the findings will be published later this year.
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Kate Osborne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39109 on Social Security Benefits: Disability, what estimate she has made of the number of people who will no longer be in receipt of (a) PIP and (b) Universal Credit Carers element, broken down by geographical region. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No estimate has yet been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, with some information published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of OBR forecasts on the percentage of GDP spent on social security benefits in the next four years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The OBR forecast for welfare spending as a percentage of GDP is expected to be 10.8% in 2029-30 once Spring Statement 2025 policy measures have been factored in. This compares to 10.9% without the incorporation of policy measures.

These figures exclude spending consequences for the Scottish Block Grant adjustment arising from Spring Statement 2025 policy measures.

2024/25

2025/26

2026/27

2027/28

2028/29

2029/30

Spring 25 policy package (excluding impacts on Scottish Block Grant Adjustment)

0.0

0.1

0.1

1.7

3.3

4.4

Welfare spending as a % of GDP (Excluding expenditure on Scottish Block Grant Adjustment)

2024/25

2025/26

2026/27

2027/28

2028/29

2029/30

Spending as a % of GDP (no measures)

10.9%

10.9%

11.0%

10.9%

10.8%

10.9%

Spending as a % of GDP (with SS25 policy package)

10.9%

10.9%

11.0%

10.8%

10.7%

10.8%

Difference

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.1%

-0.1%

-0.1%
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_53
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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that people with care needs can continue to pay for carers following changes to eligibility for Personal Independence Payments. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026.

The changes will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support.

Through the Green Paper we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like.

We will also work closely with the DHSC and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has regular discussions with Cabinet members, including in relation to benefit reform.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Office for Budget Responsibility has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity group on the finances of disabled people unable to work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department published “Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Equality Analysis” and “Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts” alongside the Spring Statement.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
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Tony Vaughan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department of 22 January 2025, Official Report, column 414WH, how many displaced international care workers whose sponsor’s licence had not been revoked have been supported by regional partnerships since they were established. \p Stephen Kinnock: In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked.

A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025/international-recruitment-fund-for-the-adult-social-care-sector-2024-to-2025-guidance-for-local-authorities

We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
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Sir Oliver Dowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) tackle, (b) prevent and (c) monitor poor quality care in council-commissioned care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services, including council-commissioned care homes, to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Inspection reports on individual providers are made publicly available.

Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses a range of regulatory and enforcement powers to take action to ensure the safety of the people drawing on care and support.

This could include using requirement notices to highlight areas that need improvement, or placing adult social care providers into special measures to closely supervise the quality of their care. In cases of significant concern, the CQC can take action that could lead to the removal of a provider’s registration or, in the most serious cases, take criminal action.

The CQC also assesses local authorities’ delivery of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes the local authority’s duty to work closely with local providers to ensure high quality services that put the wellbeing of the people who draw on care at the centre of decisions. Local authorities should also keep contracts under review to confirm that care requirements are being met, and to seek to continuously improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of services.

I recently met with Sir Julian Hartley on 14 March 2025, where we discussed the CQC’s recent challenges and how we will continue working closely together on key priorities.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 38429 on General Practitioners: Finance, from what year is the earnings data used in the staff market forces factor element of the Carr-Hill formula. \p Stephen Kinnock: Global sum payments to general practices are based on the Carr-Hill formula. The staff market forces factor is based on earnings data from 1999 to 2001.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in local authority funded adult social care beds due to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill on the number of delayed hospital discharges. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has announced an additional £502 million of support for local authorities in England to manage the impact of the changes to employer National Insurance contributions announced at the Autumn Budget

To repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the necessary decision to increase employer National Insurance. A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. The TIIN sets out the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve early interventions for young people with severe mental health issues. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise the importance of early intervention, and that too many children and young people, including those with severe mental health issues, are not getting the support or care they need. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across child and adult services, to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, whilst also helping to ease pressure on the busy mental health services.

We will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school, so that mental health conditions can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life.

In addition, NHS England is currently refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders. The refreshed guidance will highlight the importance of awareness and early recognition of eating disorders within schools, colleges, primary care, and broader children and young peoples’ mental health services.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the cost to community pharmacies of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions from April 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England commissioned Frontier Economics to undertake an independent economic analysis of National Health Service pharmacy funding in 2024. This report was published on 28 March 2025.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.

The Department considered the increases in National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage when consulting on the funding arrangements for community pharmacy. We have now agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future, and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill on the number of local authority funded adult social care beds in (a) England and (b) Hampshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

The additional funding available to Hampshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 6.7% in cash terms.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of the level of funding for independent pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. They provide an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. Community Pharmacy England represent all pharmacy contractors in England, including independent community pharmacies. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows the Government’s commitment to rebuilding the sector.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of local authority funded adult social care beds (a) leaving and (b) joining the care sector. \p Stephen Kinnock: Any provider carrying out regulated care activities must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which includes providing information on the number of registered care beds which can be occupied by the local authority, the National Health Service, or self-funded residents. If a regulated activity is no longer being provided, the provider must notify the CQC so that the location can be removed from the register. However, the CQC’s registration does not require providers to inform the CQC if care beds are funded by the local authority.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_64
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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider linking pharmacy funding to (a) inflation and (b) the National Living Wage. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.

We have now agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_65
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_65

Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with independent pharmacy owners on ensuring an equitable contract for community pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. They provide an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

We have now concluded the most recent consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. Community Pharmacy England represent all pharmacy contractors, including independents. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_66
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning the use of off-framework staffing agencies by the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The planning guidance for 2024/25 set out the expectation that trusts should end off-framework agency use. The National Health Service is now operating at the lowest levels of off-framework use on record.

The planning guidance for 2025/26 sets out, for the first time, in its Revenue Finance and Contracting Guidance, the ambition of eliminating agency spend altogether, and the expectation that trusts should reduce their agency spend by a minimum of 30% in 2025/26.

The merits of eliminating off-framework agencies would be to increase procurement compliance, value for money, safeguarding measures, workforce productivity, and to provide a ring fence of governance to improve patient safety. A list of approved framework agreements can be found on NHS England’s website, at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/reducing-expenditure-on-nhs-agency-staff-rules-and-price-caps/agency-rules-list-of-approved-framework-agreements-for-all-staff/
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating changes to NHS systems to ensure that it is possible to update the gender marker associated with an NHS number. \p Karin Smyth: Sex and gender identity are not always the same thing, and it is important for patients that we record both accurately. On 20 March 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care instructed the health service to immediately suspend applications for National Health Service number changes for under 18 year olds, to safeguard children.   Taking such action does not prevent the NHS from recording, recognising, and respecting trans people’s gender identity. General practitioners are currently able to rename a patient and manually input preferred pronouns and expressed gender in free text without affecting the formal marker.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to use on-framework staffing agencies to reduce the number of unfilled nursing shifts. \p Karin Smyth: Trusts manage their own procurement processes and must align with framework and procurement regulations, to uphold fairness and deliver value for money. Any breaches of framework rules, including price cap violations, are closely monitored by NHS England through the Temporary Staffing Efficiency Programme.

NHS England will continue to review framework applications as they are submitted, and will continue to communicate outcomes to framework operators and providers, including any updates to the list of approved framework agreements. A list of approved framework agreements can be found on NHS England’s website, at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/reducing-expenditure-on-nhs-agency-staff-rules-and-price-caps/agency-rules-list-of-approved-framework-agreements-for-all-staff/
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Rosie Duffield:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what services his Department and the NHS offer to people choosing to detransition. \p Karin Smyth: The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review in full. This includes the recommendation for a pathway to be established for individuals who wish to detransition. The formative stages of this work will involve a process of evidence gathering in the spring of 2025, focused on individuals and clinicians with experience of detransition, and professional bodies. NHS England will engage stakeholders on a proposed service specification for the new pathway, including through public consultation.

In parallel, NHS England has begun the process of forming a clinical commissioning policy for hormone medications, that will describe the approach for the management of hormone medications for individuals who choose to detransition.
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Rosie Duffield:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of new prescriptions issued by NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Services for (a) oestrogen and (b) testosterone to young people aged 16-18 since 1 April 2024. \p Karin Smyth: Since 1 April 2024 there have been no new initiations of exogenous hormones through the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service.
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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of adults with severe mental illness who are currently waiting for treatment from community mental health services; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times. \p Stephen Kinnock: As of 31 January 2025, there were 188,009 people with 211,891 referrals waiting for treatment from community mental health services. Treatment has been defined as receiving a second care contact, where the person attended the care contact and was spoken to, either face to face, via telephone, talk type, or video conferencing. The data is based on the number of adults waiting for treatment from community mental health services for adults and older adults with serious mental illness.

It is unacceptable that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. We are determined to change that. As part of our mission to build a National Heath Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase recruitment in NHS mental health services in Greater Manchester. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers nationally to reduce wait times and provide faster treatment. To ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it, we will also publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan later this year to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.

The Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust reports that recruitment to substantive posts has improved, and the use of temporary staff has reduced, with the overall vacancy rate reducing to 9.4% in January 2025, against an in-year target of 11.4%.

The trust recognises the need to retain its skilled workforce, and it has seen significant improvements in its turnover, which has reduced from more than 17% in June 2023 to 9.8% in January 2025, against an in-year target of 12.5%.

In the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, recruitment to substantive posts has also improved, whilst the use of temporary staff has reduced. Its vacancy rate in January 2025 had reduced to 8.5%, against an in-year target of 9.5%. Plans are in place to address vacancies within the nursing and medical workforce, and improvements in retaining the skilled workforce have resulted in a turnover which has reduced from 12.1% in June 2023 to 9.5% in January 2025, against a target of 9.6%.

In addition, a child and adolescent mental health services recruitment campaign is running across Greater Manchester between January and July 2025, to recruit to roles within this specialism.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

Under recently announced changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) will become more flexible to allow primary care networks (PCNs) to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.

In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305, representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.

Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with autism have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows the number of autistic people admitted to mental health inpatient care under the Mental Health Act 1983 within each year between 2020 and 2024, based on the Assuring Transformation data collection as of 28 February 2025:

Year

Number of autistic people admitted to mental health inpatient care under the Mental Health Act 1983

2020

635

2021

715

2022

820

2023

905

2024

1,015

Source: Assuring Transformation data collection, NHS England.

Notes:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_75

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to continue funding for PCARP Digital Pathways in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of the Primary Care Access and Recovery Plan for 2024/25, integrated care boards (ICBs) received non-recurrent funding to support the uptake of highly usable and accessible digital tools in practices. This funding is not separately available in 2025/26. ICBs are expected to continue funding digital tools for general practices from their core allocations, and to prioritise as necessary within those allocations, as part of delivering Government and planning priorities on general practice access, and to support the move from analogue to digital.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_76
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_76

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 39625 on General Practitioners: Employers' Contributions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase to employers' National Insurance contributions on the level of employment in general practices. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise was implemented in April 2025.

General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.

We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_77
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_77

Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) take steps to help reduce financial pressures on pharmacy students and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of including pharmacy students in the Learning Support Fund scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to financially supporting healthcare students in England, including pharmacy students, throughout their studies. Support is predominantly provided through the Department for Education and the student loans system.

For the 2025/26 academic year, the Government has announced that the maximum loans and grants for living and other costs from Student Finance England will increase by 3.1% to meet forecast inflation.

There are no immediate plans to make changes to the NHS Learning Support Fund scheme design. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make the best use of public funds to deliver value for money.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_78
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_78

Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) increase social care funding and (b) support local authorities with increases in demand for care services in North East Hampshire constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

The additional funding available to Hampshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 6.7% in cash terms.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_79
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_79

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting the patient’s Right To Choose service on people with ADHD in South Suffolk. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to patients, including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in South Suffolk, having the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their first appointment as an outpatient. A patient’s right to choose is set out in legislation, and no changes are being made to this legal right. Further information on the choices available for patients can be found on the NHS Choice framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_80
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_80

Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support the devolved Administrations to (a) increase the children’s palliative care workforce and (b) improve access to specialist services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Healthcare funding and administration, including in relation to palliative and end of life care services, is a devolved matter across the four nations of the United Kingdom, and, therefore, is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

In England, we have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, and a central part of the plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients, including children with palliative and end of life care needs, across our communities. This summer, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS in England has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when and where they need it, including for children with palliative and end of life care needs.

In England, palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, including specialist services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification for children and young people.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices in England for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_81

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to hold integrated care boards to account for meeting their statutory duty and implementing policy frameworks on children’s palliative care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, including for children and young people, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB in respect of each financial year, and to publish a summary of its findings. This assessment must assess how well the ICB has discharged its functions.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_82
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_82

Andrew Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of compliance with the Mental Health Investment Standard by ICBs in each of the last four years. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows the number of integrated care boards (ICBs), formerly clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), meeting the Mental Health Investment Standard, meaning that their investment in mental health services increased in line with their overall increase in funding for the year, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:

Year

Number of CCGs/ICBs meeting the Mental Health Investment Standard

2020/21

135 out of 135 CCGs

2021/22

106 out of 106 CCGs

2022/23

41 out of 42 ICBs

2023/24

42 out of 42 ICBs

2024/25

Information not yet available

Source: NHS Mental Health Dashboard, NHS England

Note: between 2020/21 and 2021/22 there was a methodology change in how ICB/CCG base allocation was calculated.

The calculation of the Mental Health Investment Standard does not include spend on learning disabilities, autism, dementia, and specialised commissioning.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_83

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 3 March 2025 on the Outcome of the 25-26 GP Contract consultation, HCWS486, which 32 targets will his Department remove from GPs. \p Stephen Kinnock: For the 2025/26 GP Contract year, the 32 Quality and Outcomes Framework indicators that were income-protected for 2024/2025 have been permanently retired. The 32 permanently retired indicators are listed in Annex B at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/changes-to-the-gp-contract-in-2025-26/
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_84
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_84

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to link pharmacy funding to inflation and National Living Wage increases. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have taken the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.

The Department has considered the increases in the National Living Wage when consulting on the funding arrangements for community pharmacy. We have now agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.
wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_85
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-02 conversation_85

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the length of funding periods of pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

Government spending is normally agreed through spending reviews, and we are currently planning the Spending Review which will cover budgets beyond 2025/26.

We agree that funding agreements that cover multiple years can bring certainty for contractors and support investment decisions, but it is also difficult to flex such agreements to take into account unforeseen events, as demonstrated in the last five-year deal for pharmacy.