Written questions by Spencer.

What estimate has been made of the economic impact of housing (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers in Ipswich.

The Home Office works closely with local authorities and takes into account the pressures associated with providing asylum accommodation. We continue to engage with local authorities to manage these impacts, including on their wider statutory responsibilities and local plans. To support this work, the Home Office administers a range of grants to help local authorities meet the costs of accommodating asylum seekers.Costs associated with asylum accommodation and support are reported at a national level in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Whether she has had discussions with the (a) farming, (b) rural and (c) game sports industries on changes to shotgun licensing.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February 2025, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. We intend to publish this consultation shortly.No decisions have yet been made on whether and what changes might be necessary. Our approach will be informed by the public consultation, and we will consider the views put forward before deciding on what further action to take. We will then provide an assessment of the impact of any changes that the Government intends to bring forward.

When she intends to publish the consultation into licensing controls for shotguns.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February 2025, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. We intend to publish this consultation shortly.No decisions have yet been made on whether and what changes might be necessary. Our approach will be informed by the public consultation, and we will consider the views put forward before deciding on what further action to take. We will then provide an assessment of the impact of any changes that the Government intends to bring forward.

Whether he plans to publish proposals on access to primary care for patients without the means of digital communication.

We recognise that not all patients are able or wish to use online services. That is why the GP Contract is clear that that patients must always have the option to contact their practice by telephone or attend in person. Online tools should always be offered in addition to existing access routes, not as a replacement for them.In July 2023, NHS England published guidance to support primary care networks in reducing digital exclusion. This guidance reinforces these requirements and provides further practical advice, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/supporting-digital-inclusion-in-general-practice-10-top-tips/Over 73% of people find it easy to contact their general practice. This has shown a significant improvement of 12.2 percentage points since July 2024, when the figure was 60.9%.

What steps he is taking to support patients without access to the internet to get appointments with GPs.

We understand that not all patients have access to or want to use online services. The GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a general practice (GP).The 2026/27 GP Contract includes a new requirement for practices to enable online appointment requests throughout the duration of core opening hours, which will ease pressure on phone lines for people who prefer to telephone.We are also improving capacity in GPs. We have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. As a result, we have successfully delivered an additional 8.3 million GP appointments for patients compared to the same period last year, meaning more patients are getting the support they need, when they need it.The Office for National Statistics’ Health Insight Survey from March 2026 shows that 73.7% of patients reported it was “easy” to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of existing planning regulations for considering the views of local residents.

Planning regulations require local planning authorities to publish all planning applications for a minimum of 21 days to allow communities to provide their comments. Where relevant planning considerations are raised by local residents within this period these must be taken into account by the local planning authority. The weight attached to a particular consideration is a matter of judgement for the local authority as the decision-maker in the first instance. The government considers that the existing statutory publicity and consultation requirements for planning applications strikes an appropriate balance between ensuring sufficient consultation with communities and an efficient determination period for the applicant.

How long the average wait time is in England for a patient to have a GP appointment GP a) by telephone and b) face to face.

NHS England publishes monthly data on general practice appointments. In November 2025, 33.5% of appointments delivered on the same day were conducted face to face, while 52.5% took place by telephone. In terms of the proportion of appointments delivered within two weeks, 58.5% were face to face and 26% were conducted by telephone.

Whether he has a target for the proportion of domestic energy produced by land based solar farms.

Our pathway to clean power was set out in the Clean Power Action Plan, published in December 2024. It made clear that solar power, across rooftop and ground-mounted solar farms, will be crucial to achieving our mission. The plan calls for the rapid acceleration of solar deployment, from around 21.5GW at present, to 45–47GW by 2030, with scope to exceed this, subject to system need. We do not hold specific targets for the proportion of this capacity that should be split between ground-mounted solar farms and other types of solar.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to amend planning regulations for solar farm applications to require greater consideration of local residents’ views.

Planning regulations require local planning authorities to publish all planning applications for a minimum of 21 days to allow communities to provide their comments. Where relevant planning considerations are raised by local residents within this period these must be taken into account by the local planning authority. The weight attached to a particular consideration is a matter of judgement for the local authority as the decision-maker in the first instance. The government has no plans to amend this procedure specifically for solar farm applications.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to require Environmental Impact Assessments to be carried out for all rural solar farm developments with a generating capacity below 50 megawatts.

Projects with a generating capacity of 100MW and less are considered under the provision of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required only for certain types of development. An EIA may be necessary where the local planning authority determines that the development is likely to give rise to significant environmental effects, having regard to matters such as scale, location, and environmental sensitivity.

What the average wait time is for a patient to see a GP in (a) England and (b) by integrated care board.

NHS England publishes monthly data on general practice appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, at a national and integrated care board level, although this is not a proxy for “waiting times”.Several factors can affect when appointments take place, for example, patients may choose to book routine check-ups in advance for their own convenience. It is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.Nationally, in November 2025, 43.1% of appointments were delivered on the same day, and 81.2% were delivered within two weeks. In the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, 42.7% of appointments were delivered on the same day, 0.4 percentage points below the national average. 79.5% were delivered within two weeks, 1.7 percentage points below the national figure.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the adequacy of financial support for parents of critically and terminally ill children.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets with colleagues across Government to discuss a range of issues. Many parents caring for children and young people with serious illnesses are likely to need additional support through social security. Financial support is available through Universal Credit (UC), a means tested benefit, which if needed, can offer support available on day one through a UC advance. There is also Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children aged under 16 and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for those over 16. They are available if a child or young person’s condition or illness is of a long-term nature and gives rise to care, daily living or mobility needs. These are not means-tested. For claimants at the end of life, the Government’s priority is to provide financial support quickly and compassionately through special benefit rules – called the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). For parents with children nearing the end of life these enable families to get faster, and guaranteed, access to the care component of DLA or the daily living components of PIP, without having to undergo a functional assessment or serve a qualifying period. People caring for a child in these circumstances can use an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator to check what they could be entitled to. These are available on Gov.uk and provide estimates of the benefits someone could get, how these payments are affected by re-starting work or by a change in circumstances change.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending neonatal care pay and leave to parents of all critically ill children under 16.

The Department for Business and Trade recognises the heartbreaking situation faced by parents of seriously ill children. We will consult on a leave and pay entitlement for parents in this situation in 2026. Further detail is included in the terms of reference for the review of employment rights for unpaid carers, which was published on 19 November 2025. There are no plans to extend existing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay legislation to the parents of older children. This would be unsuitable, as it would require altering core principles of an act specifically designed around neonatal care and would risk impacting on the Act’s policy aims.

When he will launch a consultation into giving employment protection and financial assistance to the parents of critically or terminally ill children.

The Department for Business and Trade recognises the heartbreaking situation faced by parents of seriously ill children. We will consult on a leave and pay entitlement for parents in this situation in 2026. Further detail is included in the terms of reference for the review of employment rights for unpaid carers, which was published on 19 November 2025. There are no plans to extend existing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay legislation to the parents of older children. This would be unsuitable, as it would require altering core principles of an act specifically designed around neonatal care and would risk impacting on the Act’s policy aims.

What steps he is taking to improve treatment options for glioblastoma.

Brain tumours, including glioblastoma, remain one of the hardest to treat cancers. The Government is taking action to improve treatment options and outcomes.Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In October 2025, a new nationwide trial exploring whether surgery can improve quality of life for patients when glioblastoma comes back after treatment commenced, backed by £1.98 million of NIHR funding. Further to this, in September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, including glioblastoma, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, such as glioblastomas, to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers.  This will ensure that the National Health Service will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options and ultimately boost survival rates.Early next year, the Government will publish a National Cancer Plan which will set out targeted actions to reduce lives lost to cancers, including rarer cancers such as glioblastoma.

How many GPs have left NHS practice since July 2024.

Overall, between July 2024 and October 2025, the number of fully qualified, full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) increased by 1,687.In the period covering September 2024 to September 2025, the latest period for which the data is available, 2,825 fully qualified, FTE GPs left general practice, a loss of 1,817. The leaver rate for fully qualified GPs in headcount terms was 7.5%, which is the fourth lowest rate observed since this data began to be collected in September 2015 to September 2016.The figure does not capture GP migration between practices during this period. Due to data quality issues, a GP recorded as a leaver in these figures may have left one practice and joined another practice with poor data completion. In instances such as this, a GP will be incorrectly recorded as a leaver due to the identifying information no longer being present in the dataset. The figure does not contain estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid records.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that digital exclusion is not a barrier to accessing primary care.

Digital technology is being used to help health and care professionals communicate better and enable people to access the care they need quickly and easily, when it suits them.Since 1 October, general practices (GPs) have been required to keep their online consultations tools on throughout core hours, from 8am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, for non-urgent and routine requests.Patients are able to get in touch with their GPs via an online form during these hours to request an appointment or raise a query.We understand that not all patients can or want to use online services. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. We have also committed to work with digital transformation teams in integrated care boards and with groups at risk of digital exclusion to ensure digital solutions are inclusive.

What the per patient funding was in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 for (i) Central Suffolk and North Ipswich ICB and (ii) England.

The total recurrent revenue allocation per head figures for the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), as well as for England overall, can be found from the ICB allocations published on the NHS England website. The column titled ‘Recurrent Allocation £/head’ in each allocations tab provides the per-patient funding figure both by ICB and for England as a whole:- allocations for 2023/24 to 2024/25 are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/icb-allocations-combined-2023-24-and-2024-25-v1.2.xlsx; and- allocations for 2025/26 are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/icb-allocations-combined-2025-26-v1.3.xlsx.The figures represent the total recurrent revenue allocation per head based on National Health Service registered populations as assumed at the time allocations were set. Consecutive years are not directly comparable as the delegated responsibilities of ICBs changed over time. Capital and non-recurrent revenue are not included in this summary, and specialist services were not delegated in 2023/24 and were commissioned directly by NHS England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help retain farm businesses.

We have allocated £11.8 billion this parliament to sustainable farming and food production, targeting public money where it delivers most value: actions that support nature to produce good food and grants for cutting-edge technology. We are making supply chains fairer to protect farmers in their contracts and unlocking new markets for British produce. We are carefully looking at the Farming Profitability Review (FPR) recommendations and will publish the Review in December, before Christmas. The FPR will feed directly into the Farming Roadmap, due next year, ensuring its recommendations are embedded in that plan. Alongside the Land Use Framework, the Roadmap will set out the government’s vision for agriculture and give farmers the certainty to make informed, long-term decisions.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to (a) reopen the water management grant for farmers and (b) introduce new support to improve farm productivity through more efficient use of water and secure water supplies, in the context of the latest Environment Agency figures showing much of the country continues to be in drought or prolonged dry weather.

The Water Management Grant is designed to help improve farm productivity and water resilience through supporting investment in irrigation infrastructure and construction of reservoirs on-farm. Our last round, worth up to £6 million, closed to new applications in October 2024. We are working to simplify and rationalise our grant funding from 2026 onwards to ensure it is targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.