Written questions by Barclay.

With reference to his NHS Pay Review Body remit letter: 2026 to 2027, what the expected annual financial impact is of changes to the implementation of the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme.

This specific assessment has not been made. No recent changes have been made to the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES) itself. Some job profiles have been updated to be assessed against locally.Following a national review by the Job Evaluation Group, the updated nursing and midwifery national profiles were republished by the NHS Staff Council on 3 June 2025. These changes did not change implementation of the JES or banding outcomes. During the evidence collection process for the nursing and midwifery national profile review, we were made aware that job documentation was often outdated, leading to concerns about pay banding outcomes through inconsistent local application of the JES.Any financial impact will largely depend on current local job evaluation practices and subsequent application of the revised profiles. The NHS England letter titled Agenda for Change non-pay deal recommendations – NHS job evaluation, dated 3 June 2025, was clear with employers that where there is out of date practice, they are accountable for correctly implementing the scheme and must ensure that all changes are implemented effectively within existing budget constraints.

How many patients have been removed from the waiting lists for treatment for any other reason than the treatment had been completed, by month since July 2024.

The information requested is shown in the following table:Number of cases per month, from July 2024 to September 2025, where patients were removed from the Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting list for reasons other than treatment:YearMonthNumber of cases2024July667,8932024August599,1912024September652,9242024October716,5242024November667,6452024December574,4492025January688,3252025February637,3152025March666,9082025April627,6922025May635,7132025June683,8632025July704,6252025August593,4552025September693,033The information for the table above was extracted from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS) on 18 November 2025.A breakdown of reasons for coming off the waiting list is not available in the aggregate monthly official statistics. However, the information is collected in the weekly management information from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS). The WLMDS is subject to less validation than the monthly official statistics and totals do not match between the two sources.Reasons for patients being removed from the waiting list can include them starting a period of active monitoring, a clinical decision not to treat, a patient declining treatment or a patient dying before treatment starts.

How many (a) headcount and (b) FTE staff were employed by NHS England on (a) 4 July 2024 and (b) 14 October 2025.

As of June 2024, the headcount for NHS England was 15,803, and the full-time equivalent staff employed was 14,327.6. These figures are published and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-workforce-management-information.We are still finalising figures for October, and this will be published in due course.

Whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of increasing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness threshold by 25%.

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.That is why through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines, compared to the previous decade. Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will reform the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

How many patients have waited longer than 24 hours for treatment in A&E in the last 12 months.

NHS England publishes monthly data on accident and emergency (A&E) performance. This includes information on those A&E attendances that are 12 hours or longer for type 1 and 2 A&E providers. The data is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to re-open the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced in due course.

If she will publish a list of all the instances between 4 July 2024 and 14 October 2025 when 100 or more migrants have crossed the Channel in a single small boat, including (a) the date of the crossing, (b) the number of migrants on board and (c) the approximate dimensions of the boat.

There have been 5 occasions over this period where over 100 migrants have crossed the Channel in a single small boat. These are listed below.DateNumber of persons onboard13/08/202510619/09/202510219/09/202510627/09/202512508/10/2025101 Information about the dimensions of boats is operationally sensitive, and its release could prejudice the interests of law enforcement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reduction in yields of main cereal crops in 2025 on farm profitability.

Cereals are internationally traded commodities, and their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments. The Government has closely monitored the 2025 harvest and continues to engage regularly with industry stakeholders to assess any implications this may have on the cereals sector. In addition, the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG) provides early warning of atypical market movements by tracking trends in prices, inputs, and trade.

Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the Farming Profitability Review.

Baroness Batters will present her report to the Defra Secretary of State at the end of October for consideration.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 16483 on Department of Health and Social Care: Staff, what the (a) headcount and (b) FTE number of officials working in his Department was in each month since October 2024.

This data is published monthly at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-workforce-management-information#2025

Communities and Local Government, if her Department will issue guidance on the steps steps a local authority can take to compel a developer to comply with the conditions of their original planning consent relating to highway upgrades and adoption where the developer appears to be avoiding compliance by submitting further planning applications intended to delay or circumvent those obligations.

Guidance on local planning authorities’ enforcement powers can be found in the relevant planning practice guidance on gov.uk here. Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities and it is for them to decide how and when they use their powers. The government believes the current powers remain appropriate but will continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of enforcement powers available to local authorities in respect of developers who fail to comply with planning conditions on a site, while continuing to submit further planning applications within the same local authority area.

Guidance on local planning authorities’ enforcement powers can be found in the relevant planning practice guidance on gov.uk here. Enforcement is at the discretion of local planning authorities and it is for them to decide how and when they use their powers. The government believes the current powers remain appropriate but will continue to keep the operation of the enforcement system under review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 33002 on Asylum: Finance, how many top-up payments have been made to Asylum Support Enablement Cards since 4 July 2024, broken down by week.

I refer the Hon Member to the Answer he received on 3 March 2025 to UIN 33002.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Spring Statement 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the funding of the Farming and Countryside Programme on the net number of hectares of farmland farmed in a nature-friendly way.

We are increasing the budget for sustainable farming and are investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery. Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. As a result of the Government’s determination to get more farmers to participate, there are now 50,000 farm businesses and half of all farmed land now managed under our schemes – with more money being spent through these schemes than at any point.

On what annual percentage increases in healthcare demand is the 10 Year Heath Plan based.

The 10-Year Health Plan is not based on a specific percentage growth rate in demand for health care. Instead, backed by an additional £29 billion, the plan sets out how the health system will seize the opportunities provided by new technology, medicines, and innovation to deliver better care for all patients, no matter where they live or how much they earn, as well as better value for taxpayers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency is taking steps to (a) control and (b) report on the potential risk of toxic contamination from the use of (i) recycled Energy Recovery Facilities incineration ash residue and (ii) Air Pollution Control Residue in building materials.

As was the case when he was Secretary of State for Defra, the ash residue from energy recovery facilities is normally processed into incinerator The bottom ash aggregate (IBAA). IBAA can only be used under the terms of a regulatory position statement (RPS) or a permit issued by the Environment Agency (EA). The EA have risk assessed the use of IBAA. The RPS sets out placement limitations which allows use of IBAA whilst retaining protection of the environment. If the RPS cannot be met, a site-specific permit and risk assessment is required. Where a permit is issued there is a requirement to report. Air Pollution Control Residue can only be used as a building material when that material has met the criteria for end-of-waste, which is assessed on a case-by-case basis. This requires that the material must be of no significantly greater risk to the environment or human health than the non-waste-derived equivalent.

What funding is available from her Department for repairs to the heating system at Meadowgate Academy.

Meadowgate Academy, as part of the Affinity Multi-Academy Trust, can access capital funding by applying to the condition improvement fund (CIF) each year. They can also apply for urgent capital support funding for urgent circumstances that cannot wait for the next CIF round.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has written to the right hon. Member for North East Cambridgeshire in more detail about Meadowgate’s specific circumstances.

What the expected in-year cost of redundancy payments in (a) DHSC and (b) NHS England is in (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27 and (iii) 2027-28.

Detailed plans are being formulated by a joint Department and NHS England programme team. The remit of work includes formulation of the relevant costs. Further detail on the costs and funding mechanisms will be provided as this work develops.

Whether he plans to issue further guidance to the NHS organisations on ending the recruitment of dedicated equality, diversity and inclusion staff.

National Health Service organisations should be working to address inequalities, in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for all patients, as well as tackling the abuse and discrimination that some NHS staff face in the workplace. Local NHS leaders are best placed to take an evidence-based approach to how they approach this challenge and resource this work.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2025 to Question 48901 on Motor Neurone Disease: Research, by what date he expects the total allocated to motor neurone disease research since the start of 2022-23 to exceed £50 million.

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and in particular the Medical Research Council.The commitment to allocate £50 million to motor neurone disease research was introduced by the previous administration. Since the last parliamentary question on the commitment on 14 May, an additional contract is now public information, which confirms that a total of £50.2 million has been committed to motor neurone disease research since the start of the 2022/23 financial year. We will continue to invest in motor neurone disease research via open competition, with no maximum funding limit.The NIHR and UKRI will continue to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including motor neurone disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on motor neurone disease to all NIHR and UKRI programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.