Written questions by Chope.

Pursuant to the Answer 30 June 2025 of Question 58911 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will set out a timetable for completion of the (a) consideration of options and (b) recommendations for change.

I reiterate my sincere condolences to individuals, and their families, who have experienced harm following vaccination.At this stage, I am not in a position to comment on timelines for the consideration of options for reform or recommendations for change. Ministers continue to consider options covering both potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and the situation of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination.In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and process claims at a faster rate.

When the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Christchurch of 3 April 2025, reference MC2025/08032.

The letter is being carefully considered and a response will be issued by11 July.

Media and Sport, when the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism plans to respond to the correspondence from the Vicar of Christchurch Priory on the impact of the restrictions on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

A response was issued today. I apologise for the delay.

When he plans to publish the Resilience Strategy.

The Government will set out its resilience strategy in due course.

What his Department's planned timetable is for the replacement of defective temporary buildings at Highcliffe School to be completed; and what guidance her Department has issued on the removal from use of life-expired temporary buildings.

School buildings are integral to high and rising standards and need to be fit for the future. That is why the government is committed to improving the condition of the school estate, and the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) continues as part of that.The department wrote to Patrick Earnshaw and Yvonne Dunning at HISP Multi-Academy Trust in July 2023 to inform them that Highcliffe School has been placed in group 2 of the SRP. Projects have been prioritised according to the condition of their buildings and other relevant criteria. We anticipate that Highcliffe School will commence with planning and feasibility work between January 2026 and March 2027, depending on the readiness of the school to enter the programme. SRP projects typically take between two and five years to deliver.Specific start dates will be communicated to the school and responsible body at least a month in advance of project start and, where possible, the department will bring projects forward if we are able to do so. The scope of the works will be discussed with the school and responsible body once the project enters delivery.Responsible bodies continue to have a responsibility for the safety and maintenance of the buildings in their care, including temporary buildings. The school will need to continue to maintain and keep buildings safe until the school enters delivery. This includes compliance with statutory duties to ensure the health and safety of building occupants.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 58911 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will set out whether the options for reform to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme include the (a) limitation period for court claims, (b) maximum award, and (c) disability threshold.

I would like to express my sincerest sympathies to those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families. At this stage, I am not in a position to comment further on the details of the options being considered, and will update Parliament in due course, as needed.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking in response to representations about (a) rogue operators in the park homes industry and (b) the commission payable on the sale of park homes.

The park homes sector is an important part of the housing market.The government is committed to improving the standards of park home site management and supporting local authorities to ensure site managers are fit and proper persons.We recognise that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home.The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.

With reference to his Department's of 3 June 2025, what options his Department is considering for (a) reform of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme reform and (b) the situation of those (i) injured or (ii) bereaved as a result of Covid-19 vaccines.

The Government recognises how difficult it is for those individuals who have sadly experienced harm following vaccination. Ministers are considering several options covering both potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and the situation of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination.

If he will make a comparative estimate of the number of people who underwent NHS elective care in Dorset in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years; and how many people were forecast to undergo elective care in the 2025-26 financial year (i) with and (ii) without elective Care demand management.

In the financial year 2023/24, there were 17,411,620 completed Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) pathways in the NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board. In the financial year 2024/25, there were 18,116,099 completed pathways. Please note that patients may be on more than one RTT pathway. These figures exclude non-consultant led care, and the subsequent care or monitoring that occurs after a patient has had their first definitive treatment. Forecasts of those who will undergo elective care in 2025/26, with and without elective care demand management, are not available.

Whether her Department plans to (a) sell or (b) transfer the site of Parkfield school in Hurn when it closes in July; and whether the premises will be retained for educational use.

The freehold site is currently owned by the Reach South Academy Trust, and this will be transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, on behalf of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, on termination of the funding agreement, when the school closes permanently.The department will always aim to recover assets and identify alternative educational or other public sector uses for sites in such circumstances. It is only when this is not possible that we retain the option to sell the site for a commercial return. All options are currently being explored.

If she will meet with the hon. Member for Christchurch to discuss the Bank of England (Inflation Targets) Bill.

I would be happy to meet with the Honourable Member for Christchurch to discuss the private members bill he introduced on Bank of England (Inflation Targets) as the Chancellor’s parliamentary deputy on economic issues. My office will contact the Honourable Member in due course to arrange a meeting.

With reference to the letter of 16 May 2025 from NHS England to ICBs on referrals for elective surgery, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing the rate of referrals for elective surgery on waiting times for NHS operations in Dorset.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of reducing the rate of referrals for elective surgery on waiting times for operations in Dorset.Actions to ensure care is delivered in the most appropriate clinical setting, to reduce unnecessary demand on elective care, are set out in the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, which also details all the reform efforts needed to deliver our commitment that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.The Government has set out expectations that integrated care boards (ICBs) should focus on strategic commissioning, by planning services that meet the needs of local populations. In this regard, NHS England’s letter of 16 May 2025 calls on ICBs to implement strategies to reduce unwarranted demand for all elective care, including surgery. By reducing unnecessary appointments and tests, these interventions will free up clinical time and resources for patients who do require elective surgery and other forms of elective care, and will reduce the time these patients wait for their care.

How much was spent on GP services by Dorset Integrated Care Board in Christchurch in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-2024 and (c) 2024-25; and what the budget is for 2025-2026.

In 2022/23, total National Health Service payments to general practices in the Christchurch constituency, including COVID-19 and primary care network payments, were £17,452,214, including any deductions for Pensions, Levies and Prescription Charge Income. Data for the years after 2022/23 has not been published yet.

How many patients were registered at (a) Highcliffe Medical Centre, (b) Christchurch Medical Centre, (c) Burton Brunch Surgery, (d) Stour Surgery and (e) The Grove Surgery on (i) 1 June 2024 and (ii) 14 May 2025.

The data below shows the number of registered patients at the Highcliffe Medical Centre, the Christchurch Medical Practice, the Stour Surgery, and the Grove Medical Centre as of 31 March 2025, as this is the most recent available data, and as of 31 March 2024, to align with the most recent data.Data for the Burton Medical Centre is not available as it was a branch of the Christchurch Medical Practice. The Burton Medical Centre became a branch practice in October 2017 and was subsequently closed in October 2024. The following table shows the number of registered patients at the Highcliffe Medical Centre, the Christchurch Medical Practice, the Stour Surgery, and the Grove Medical Centre as of 31 March 2025: Practice nameTotal patientsHighcliffe Medical Centre15,308Christchurch Medical Practice16,303Stour Surgery10,684The Grove Medical Centre12,978 In addition, the following table shows the number of registered patients at the Highcliffe Medical Centre, the Christchurch Medical Practice, the Stour Surgery, and the Grove Medical Centre as of 31 March 2024: Practice nameTotal patientsHighcliffe Medical Centre15,153Christchurch Medical Practice16,938Stour Surgery10,399The Grove Medical Centre13,016

What information his Department holds on the number of new patients registered at (a) Highcliffe Medical Centre, (b) Christchurch Medical Centre, (c) Burton Brunch Surgery, (d) The Stour Surgery and (e) The Grove Surgery in the (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-25 financial years; and how much was paid to each practice for those additional patients.

Changes in the number of registered patients reflects both new registrations as well as existing patients being taken off a practice’s list, such as where they have moved practice or have died. As a result, it is not possible to identify the number of new registrations from the published data, and it is not possible to determine the additional funding practices have received from new registrations. Practices receive global sum payments based on their registered patient list, which are weighted using the Carr-Hill formula. This takes into consideration factors such as the age and sex of patients, and additional pressures generated by factors such as geographical location and patient turnover.

How many full-time equivalent (a) GPs and (b) other clinical practitioners were employed at (i) Highcliffe Medical Centre, (ii) Christchurch Medical Centre, (iii) Burton Brunch Surgery, (iv) Stour Surgery and (v) The Grove Surgery on (A) 1 June 2024 and (B) 14 May 2025.

Figures are provided in the tables below on full time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) and other clinical practitioners employed at the practices for which the Department holds data. We have provided the most recent data available, which captures staff employed on 31 March 2025, and compared this to 31 March 2024.Data for the Burton Medical Centre is not available as it was a branch of the Christchurch Medical Practice. The Burton Medical Centre became a branch practice in October 2017, and was subsequently closed in October 2024.The following table shows the number of FTE GP doctors and other clinical staff in the Highcliffe Medical Centre, the Christchurch Medical Centre, the Burton Brunch Surgery, the Stour Surgery, and the Grove Surgery, as of 31 March 2025:Practice nameGP doctorsOther clinical staffHighcliffe Medical Centre9.911.4Christchurch Medical Practice10.221.7Stour Surgery4.77.1The Grove Medical Centre11.116.2 In addition, the following table shows the number of FTE GP doctors and other clinical staff in the Highcliffe Medical Centre, the Christchurch Medical Centre, the Burton Brunch Surgery, the Stour Surgery, and the Grove Surgery, as of 31 March 2024:Practice nameGP doctorsOther clinical staffHighcliffe Medical Centre8.711.4Christchurch Medical Practice10.723.0Stour Surgery4.97.1The Grove Medical Centre1217.3Notes:the data does not include estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records; andFTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours, 37.5 hours, and 0.5 that they worked half that time. For GPs in training grade contracts, 1 FTE is equal to 40 hours, and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard Workforce Minimum Data Set measure of 1 FTE equalling 37.5 hours, for consistency.

What information his Department holds on the number of (a) face-to-face and (b) other GP appointments conducted at (i) Highcliffe Medical Centre, (ii) Christchurch Medical Centre, (iii) Burton Branch Surgery (iv) The Stour Surgery and (v) The Grove Surgery in (A) 2022-23, (B) 2023-24 and (C) 2024-25.

A table showing the number of face-to-face and other general practice appointments conducted for the Highcliffe Medical Centre, the Christchurch Medical Centre, the Stour Surgery, and the Grove Surgery is attached. Data for the Burton Medical Centre is not available as it was a branch of the Christchurch Medical Practice. The Burton Medical Centre became a branch practice in October 2017, and was subsequently closed in October 2024.

Communities and Local Government, which (a) charities and (b) organisations have received funding from the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund.

The department has not yet awarded funding to any charities or other organisations via the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund. The deadline for submitting applications to the fund is 18 May. Funding will be awarded in July 2025. Further information can be found in the fund’s prospectus, published on gov.uk here.

Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the organisers of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on requiring targeted hygiene protocols.

DCMS officials are in regular contact with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company (OC).The OC has confirmed it is developing health and medical plans for the Games as part of ongoing event planning, in line with statutory regulations. It has engaged with medical providers and public health agencies and is establishing a Medical and Public Health Working Group to develop this work with partners.

When the next meeting of the Cleaning Industry Liaison Forum will take place.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is currently undergoing a transition to improve how it works and delivers outcomes. As part of this, it is temporarily reducing the number of its external meetings, whilst continuing to deliver on its priorities. The date of the next meeting of the Cleaning Industry Liaison has not yet been set.