Written questions by Jones.

What steps she is taking to improve the reliability of signalling on the Great Western Main Line out of Twyford.

Ministers have met with both Great Western Railway and Network Rail on operational performance which is the Secretary of State’s key focus for improvement. Recent performance for Network Rail has improved including the infrastructure on the mainline around Twyford. Improving signalling is part of an ongoing project between Network Rail western region and Great Western Railway.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February to Question 29747 on AstraZeneca, if he will place a copy of the requested letter in the House of Commons Library.

Due to commercial confidentiality considerations, we are unable to place the requested letter in the House of Commons Library. As with any application for Government grant funding of this nature, all cases undergo rigorous due diligence, which assesses whether the investment represents good value for money for the taxpayer.The Government remains committed to improving the business environment for Life Sciences companies. We continue to engage positively with AstraZeneca on the new Industrial Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan, due to be published in late Spring. This will set out a comprehensive plan of how the Government intends to drive growth in the sector.

If she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure that written Parliamentary questions are answered on time.

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account. I have written to all members of Cabinet to remind Ministers of their responsibilities to provide helpful and timely responses to Members' PQs.The Procedure Committee monitors individual department’s PQ performance and it recently published a report into performance in the 2023–24 Session (available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8673/written-parliamentary-questions-departmental-performance-in-session-202324/publications/). I look forward to working with the Committee on this and other matters.I encourage hon. Members to raise any specific issues they may have with myself and my office.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make it his policy to conduct a lessons learned review following the negotiations with AstraZeneca for investment in Speke.

AstraZeneca’s decision not to invest in Speke is deeply disappointing. The Government regularly reviews it’s grant process and routinely seeks applicant feedback. The Government also continues to engage positively with AstraZeneca, including on the new Industrial Strategy and Life Sciences Sector Plan, due to be published in late Spring. This will set out a comprehensive plan of how the Government intends to drive growth in the sector. Support includes the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, which will allocate up to £520 million to deliver economic growth and build health resilience.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 29713 on radiotherapy machines, when he plans to publish the funding allocation for the £70 million investment for replacing older radiotherapy machines.

NHS England will be writing shortly to those trusts which have been allocated funding for a replacement machine. There are currently no plans to publish full details of the funding allocation.

What steps his Department is taking to promote awareness of brain tumour awareness month.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.

What steps his Department is taking to promote awareness of oesophageal cancer month.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.

What steps his Department is taking to promote awareness of kidney cancer awareness month.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30436 on GPs, what proportion of the 38,000 additional roles recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme are GPs.

Over 38,000 direct patient care roles such as pharmacists and physios have been recruited into practices and primary care networks (PCNs) from March 2019 to December 2024. This data does not include general practitioners (GPs) employed through the scheme. PCNs have been able to recruit newly qualified GPs through the scheme since October 2024. Information on the number of recently qualified general practitioners for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated but is not yet published. We are working to collate and verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30436 on GPs, what progress he has made of recruiting more than 1,000 GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

When the Government became aware of the reports of general practitioner (GP) unemployment amongst newly qualified GPs, we acted immediately and identified £82 million of additional funding to allow for newly qualified GPs to be employed through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, as a first step in addressing the issues of GP unemployment and increasing capacity so that patients can access appointments.Information on the number of recently qualified GPs for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated, but is not yet published. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published.

What steps his Department is taking to promote prostate cancer awareness month.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 January to Question 25057 on Workforce freezes, whether he plans to publish an Answer following engagement with NHS England.

We have increased specialty training places for key roles, such as radiologists, radiographers, and other diagnostic professionals, alongside initiatives to improve retention and reduce reliance on outsourcing. These efforts are part of our continued commitment to building a resilient, sustainable service capable of meeting rising demand and improving patient outcomes.We are aware of cases where trusts have put recruitment restrictions in place in diagnostic services. Systems and trusts need to manage their expenditure within the budgets they have been allocated for the year. Information regarding proportion of trusts is not currently available.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2025 to Question 18874 on Leasehold: Ground Rent, what the Government's timetable is for (a) publishing its response to the consultation entitled Modern Leasehold: Restricting Ground Rent for Existing Leases, which closed on 17 January 2025, and (b) bringing forward legislative proposals.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 18874 on 17 December 2024

If he will publish all responses to the consultation entitled Proposals for updating Part IX of the Drug Tariff: Medical Devices available for prescribing in Primary Care, published in October 2023.

The response to the Part IX Drug Tariff Consultation was issued in August 2024 to the target audience. The response to the consultation summarises the responses and sets out the Government’s response and the next steps. Given the potentially commercially sensitive information in the responses to the consultation, the Department will not publish the individual responses.

If he will hold discussions with (a) people that use catheters, (b) clinicians and (c) manufacturers on the potential impact of the proposals set out in the document entitled, Proposals for updating Part IX of the Drug Tariff: Medical Devices available for prescribing in Primary Care, published in October 2023, on (i) the ability of clinicians to prescribe the most appropriate product for patients, (ii) patient (A) experience and (B) outcomes and (iii) costs to the NHS.

Officials in the Department have been engaging with people that use catheters, clinicians, and manufacturers on the proposals to update Part IX of the Drug Tariff. We will continue to do so as the work progresses. Following the consultation on proposed updates to Part IX of the Drug Tariff, the Department commissioned a patient survey and focus groups with people that use products available for prescribing, including catheters. This has been hugely important in gathering input from patients about what features they value in medical devices used outside of hospital. A report is currently being compiled on the findings and will be shared with interested parties.Eight Expert Reference Groups covering the range of medical devices available on Part IX of the Drug Tariff, including urological care, were established to gather input from experts, including clinicians. In addition to the consultation, since August, manufacturers have been invited to comment on the draft iterations of the recategorization work and assessment framework. Now that the recategorization work is nearly finalised, with a view to resharing with stakeholders, the analysis is being updated to assess any impact on costs to the National Health Service. This work does not change the fact that Part IX of the Drug Tariff is a list of available products for prescribing and clinicians can still select the most appropriate product for patients. The aim is to increase comparability of the many thousands of products available for prescribing.

For what reason the consultation on the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff was restricted; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that the review does not lead to the removal of access to the most clinically-appropriate products for patients who intermittently self-catheterise.

The Part IX Drug Tariff Consultation was open between October 2023 and January 2024, and was targeted rather than public, owing to its complex subject matter. The consultation was sent to trade associations and companies with listings on Part IX of the Drug Tariff, National Health Service commissioners, clinical groups, and patient representative groups. There are 825 intermittent catheters listed on Part IX with approximately £176 million spent on them annually. The amendments that were consulted on intend to increase meaningful choice, not to decrease choice for clinicians and patients, intend to increase comparison between products, which can increase awareness of different brands amongst prescribers, and support the adoption of innovation that can improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

What steps he is taking to promote the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) was introduced in 2019, and since then over 38,000 additional roles have been recruited under the scheme.In October 2024, the scheme was extended to include recently qualified general practitioners (GPs). In December 2024, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care wrote to the profession to confirm that funding for the ARRS, including the GP roles, would continue into 2025/26.In January 2025, NHS England wrote to GPs to highlight the ongoing commitment and to encourage Primary Care Networks to utilise the available GPs in ARRS funding, to recruit recently qualified GPs this financial year.

With reference to the report by GPOnline entitled Registrars delaying GP qualification because they can’t find jobs, says LMC, published on 7 February 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of registrars putting off qualification as GPs due to a limited number of roles available.

We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and to secure the future pipeline of GPs. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26. We also announced an £889 million uplift to the GP Contract in 2025/26, which will support practices to increase capacity. Changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, including ARRS adjustments and other important reforms, will be confirmed, along with more details on the uplift and ARRS adjustments, following consultation with the GP Committee of the British Medical Association before April 2025.

What steps he is taking to encourage Integrated Care Boards to invest in Primary Care.

Primary care services are the front door to the health service for most people, and the key to earlier diagnosis. Improving primary care access is essential in supporting a move to a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities.National Health Service planning guidance is now published for 2025/26 and sets out the funding available to integrated care boards (ICBs). It also sets out system priorities for 2025/26, including improving patients’ access to general practice, improving patient experience, and improving access to urgent dental care, by providing 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments.We have announced a proposed £889 million increase in funding for general practice in 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, reversing the recent trend and allocating a larger share of NHS resources to general practice. This will support our commitments and help drive reform in key areas. Additionally, the 2024 Spending Review introduced the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, which allocates £102 million in new capital funding to improve primary care facilities. ICBs also receive discretionary funding, allowing them to invest in initiatives such as local enhanced services, retention schemes, and transformation support, with the flexibility to direct both funding and capital allocations to meet local needs and encourage the shift from hospital care to the community.The NHS in England invests £3 billion into dentistry every year. NHS England is responsible for issuing guidance to ICBs on dental budgets, including ringfences. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.The commissioning of NHS pharmaceutical services in Community Pharmacy in England remains a mixed model of nationally commissioned services and locally commissioned services, in which the ICBs play a role. The Government recognises the importance of retaining both approaches as we take steps to stabilise the sector and build a service fit for the future, including making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Who he plans to consult on the National Cancer Plan.

The Department launched the call for evidence for the National Cancer Plan on 4 February 2025. Individuals, professionals and organisations are invited to share their views on our new online platform on how we can improve cancer care and outcomes. The platform is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-planThe National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart, and we are committed to working closely with partners and patient groups to shape our long-term vision for cancer. Alongside the call for evidence, we will consult with partners and patient groups to get their views and priorities, and we will keep them updated throughout this process.Research is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will continue to maximise the access to and the impact of clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider the ways that we can accelerate the uptake of innovative, life-saving treatments so all NHS patients can benefit. We will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research on this.