Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of funding for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

On 3 February, the Ministry published the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) which sets out funding allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue to support their operational and capital needs.These allocations, which include the National Insurance Contribution Grant, will see standalone fire and rescue authorities receiving an increase in core spending power of £69.1 million in 2025/26. This is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.For 2025/26, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority will have a core spending power of £40.7 million, an increase of £1.6 million (4.0%) compared to 2024/25.

With reference to the press release entitled PM launches new era for NHS with easier care in neighbourhoods, published on 2 July 2025, how his Department plans to define neighbourhoods in rural areas.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean millions of patients, including those in rural constituencies, are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that meets the needs of local populations. Rather an applying a rigid, one-size fits all model, the population base for Neighbourhood Health Services is intentionally flexible and locally determined. The geography of a ‘neighbourhood’ will be determined locally by integrated care boards in partnership with their strategic partners, particularly local authorities.The plan introduces two new contracts, including one to create multi-neighbourhood providers covering populations of approximately 250,000 people, that will unlock the advantages and efficiencies possible from greater scale working across all general practices and small neighbourhood providers in their footprint.Moreover, in the future, there will also be neighbourhood health plans drawn up by local government, the National Health Service, and its partners. The local ICB will bring together these plans into a population health improvement plan for their footprint, which they will use to inform commissioning decisions.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. The focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, but the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and/or deprived inner cities.

If he will make an estimate of the number of medical students starting university in autumn 2025.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish the number of United Kingdom-wide acceptances to medicine and dentistry jointly, but not to English providers for medicine alone. The latest number for UK medicine and dentistry acceptances, as of 15 days post A-Level results day, is 13,730 acceptances for 2025, which is 5% higher than the same point last year, namely 13,030 acceptances, and 15% higher than pre-pandemic, namely 11,960 acceptances in 2019.The Office for Students publishes the number of entrants to medical degrees in England each year. Numbers for 2020 and 2021 are high because of the temporary lifting of the cap on medical school places in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following table shows the number of entrants to medicine courses in England, each year from 2019 to 2024:YearEntrants20197,56520208,40520218,48520227,62520237,8202024*8,045Source: The Office for Students’ Medical and Dental Students Survey, from 2019 to 2024.Notes:2024 entrants are based on initial figures and may change.Given the evidence from UCAS data above, we would expect entrant numbers to be in the region of 5% higher in 2025 when numbers are known.

What recent discussions she has had with her French counterpart on intercepting small boats in shallow waters.

We continue to work closely with the French Government as they review their Maritime Doctrine so they can intervene successfully at sea and increase preventions. We are engaging extensively across the French system to ensure the earliest possible deployment of these new tactics.

How many medical students started university in each of the past five years.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish the number of United Kingdom-wide acceptances to medicine and dentistry jointly, but not to English providers for medicine alone. The latest number for UK medicine and dentistry acceptances, as of 15 days post A-Level results day, is 13,730 acceptances for 2025, which is 5% higher than the same point last year, namely 13,030 acceptances, and 15% higher than pre-pandemic, namely 11,960 acceptances in 2019.The Office for Students publishes the number of entrants to medical degrees in England each year. Numbers for 2020 and 2021 are high because of the temporary lifting of the cap on medical school places in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following table shows the number of entrants to medicine courses in England, each year from 2019 to 2024:YearEntrants20197,56520208,40520218,48520227,62520237,8202024*8,045Source: The Office for Students’ Medical and Dental Students Survey, from 2019 to 2024.Notes:2024 entrants are based on initial figures and may change.Given the evidence from UCAS data above, we would expect entrant numbers to be in the region of 5% higher in 2025 when numbers are known.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's funding for children’s hospices.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from children’s hospices, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.

What steps he plans to take to improve access to NHS Continuing Healthcare for people with (a) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and (b) Corticobasal Degeneration in Mid-Bedforshire constituency.

Our national statutory guidance, the National framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, outlines that access to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessment, care provision, and support should be fair, consistent, and free from discrimination. This national statutory guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-careEligibility for CHC is not determined by diagnosis or condition. Individuals can be identified and referred for CHC assessments by a variety of health or social care practitioners who have been trained and are known to the individual. Individuals and families can also request a CHC assessment from a health and care practitioner.Integrated care boards should make the CHC Public Information Leaflet available to members of the public, for example through local National Health Service websites, hard copies on hospital wards, through primary care outlets, local care homes, and local voluntary sector organisations. This Public Information Leaflet containing further information on CHC is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care-public-information-leaflet/public-information-leaflet-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care--2NHS England has also commissioned an information and advice service for CHC, supplied by Beacon, which individuals and their families might find helpful, and which is available at the following link:https://beaconchc.co.uk/how-we-can-help/free-information-and-advice-on-nhs-continuing-healthcare/

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26699 on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow Ministers to change the boundaries of existing strategic authorities.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, amends provisions in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 and the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 concerning the establishment and expansion of combined authorities (CAs) and combined county authorities (CCAs), respectively. These provisions allow for existing CAs or CCAs to be changed through ‘locally-led’, ‘Secretary of State-led’ and ‘Secretary of State-directed’ routes. The locally-led and Secretary of State-led routes will require local consent. However, where no relevant, viable proposals have been submitted, the Secretary of State may decide to direct the addition of a local government area to an existing CA or CCA. The Government believes that devolution should be locally-led wherever possible and will work with local leaders to agree proposals that have broad support.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of qualified planners in local government.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 67508 on 21 July 2025 and Question UIN 54911 on 10 June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether her proposals for English devolution could require the further re-organisation of (a) NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board and (b) other integrated care boards.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), alongside NHS England, continue to work closely on any proposals to reorganise integrated care boards (ICBs). In areas where Strategic Authorities are known, DHSC, alongside the MHCLG and NHS England, will proceed with integrated care board (ICB) reorganisation to ensure coterminous boundaries wherever feasibly possible.

If he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of medical students who graduated at the end of the 2024-25 academic year who will begin work in the NHS in the 2025-26 academic year.

The Department does not hold the information requested.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July 2025, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

What proportion of medical students who graduated in each of the past five years were working in the NHS on 1 September 2025.

The Department does not hold the information requested.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July 2025, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

What steps he plans to take to help improve access to life-extending (a) treatments and (b) medicines for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

The Department remains committed to reducing waiting times for cancer treatment and to improving access to treatment across England, including for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over four million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.In May 2025, NHS England announced the world’s first roll out of liquid biopsy testing, which is now available for all eligible breast cancer patients, and which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with breast cancer.The National Cancer Plan for England will be published later this year and will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with secondary breast cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.

How many people who breached the terms of their visa were subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain since 4 July 2024.

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office as well as the manual checking of records and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

If she will make it her policy to defer the ban on the sale of new (a) petrol and (b) diesel vehicles indefinitely; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of such a deferment on the price of new cars.

The Government has provided crucial certainty to British industry by re-instating the 2030 phase-out date for new cars relying solely on internal combustion engines. We are committing £4.5 billion to support the public and our automakers on the journey to fully decarbonising new cars and vans by 2035, including £650 million specifically to reduce the prices of new EVs. The certainty these commitments provide industry unlocks investment and benefits British consumers.

If she will make it her policy to defer the ban on the sale of new (a) petrol and (b) diesel vehicles indefinitely; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of such a deferment on UK-based vehicle producers.

The Government has provided crucial certainty to British industry by re-instating the 2030 phase-out date for new cars relying solely on internal combustion engines. We are committing £4.5 billion to support the public and our automakers on the journey to fully decarbonising new cars and vans by 2035, including £650 million specifically to reduce the prices of new EVs. The certainty these commitments provide industry unlocks investment and benefits British consumers.

With reference to the press release entitled NHS workers awarded real terms pay rises for second year in row, published on 22 May 2025, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse.

Last year’s pay awards for National Health Service staff were among the biggest across the public sector. This year, we have announced above inflation, fully funded pay increases across all staff groups for a second year in a row. These thoroughly deserved pay rises demonstrate how the Government wants to work with staff in our shared ambition to rebuild the NHS. We have been able to fully fund these pay award thanks to the reforms we’ve made, including cuts to bureaucratic duplication and central running costs.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount of upfront funding allocated to ICBs in areas of expected high population growth.

NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to integrated care boards, to pay for the services they commission. This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. Most funding is allocated as a non-ring-fenced budget, informed by a calculation of what would constitute a “fair share” of funding, taking account of population, age, need, deprivation, and health inequalities considerations. The population figures take account of Office for National Statistics population projections for the year in question. These projections take account of fertility, mortality, and migration, and so reflect expected high population growth.

If he will make an estimate of the number of NHS employees employed on a Level 7 Apprenticeship in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

With reference to the press release entitled Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs, published on 30 May 2025, whether any hospitals in Bedfordshire will be included.

The £750 million Estates Safety Fund announced in the press release entitled ‘Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs’ is part of the overall 2025/26 capital allocation announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget in 2024.Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been provided with £10.5 million from the Estates Safety Fund with £9.3 million for Bedford Hospital and £1.2 million for Luton and Dunstable Hospital.Allocations from the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund are in addition to system operational capital, of which £62 million (including Primary Care Business as Usual Capital) has been provisionally allocated to Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board in 2025/26 for addressing local priorities, including investment in maintenance and repairs at hospitals in Bedfordshire.