Written questions by Evans.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119478 on General Practitioners: Contracts, how he defines ‘avoiding’ in the context of avoiding 1.3 million patients being added to a waiting list.

Advice and Guidance (A&G) is a pre‑referral service used to enable general practitioners (GPs) and hospital specialists, including consultants, to work together to make the best care plans for patients, ensuring patients receive care in the most appropriate setting. A&G requests are distinct from hospital referrals, whereby a patient is added onto a waiting list. A&G does not take away a GP’s right to refer, which remains a matter of clinical judgement.“Avoiding” being added to a waiting list reflects when, following an A&G request, a patient is deemed not to require a secondary care referral at that time. Without A&G, these patients might otherwise have had to wait for an unnecessary appointment and instead are expected to receive more timely care with earlier specialist input. In these cases, the GP may still subsequently refer their patient at any point if they have concerns.Between April 2025 and December 2025, there were nearly 16 million referrals for Referral to Treatment services. For the same period there were over 1.2 million pre-referral A&G requests directed to treatment that is not a secondary care referral at that time, or 45.9% of total A&G requests, and this figure has been updated to reflect the latest data.Additionally, the National Director for Primary Care and Community Services set out further information here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/letter-specialist-advice-elective-single-point-of-access/

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 120986 on General Practitioners: Contracts, if he will publish the evidence that shows that patients had improved care as a result of changes to Advice and Guidance.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What [i] recent assessment he has made about levels of customer support for the increased availability of local and independent brewery products in local pubs, and [ii] whether this evidence is being considered as part of the Government's response to the Small Breweries Access to Market Review.

The Government recognises that breweries, particularly small and independent producers, play an important role in the UK’s brewing heritage, supporting diversity, innovation and consumer choice within the pub sector.The Government will respond to the outcomes of the Small Breweries Access to Market Review in due course and will set out next steps once this consideration is complete. I will meet representatives from across the sector in the next month to discuss the issue before reaching conclusions.

When he will respond to the outcomes of the Small Breweries Access to Market Review and outline the next steps to determine the future market for products in local pubs.

The Government recognises that breweries, particularly small and independent producers, play an important role in the UK’s brewing heritage, supporting diversity, innovation and consumer choice within the pub sector.The Government will respond to the outcomes of the Small Breweries Access to Market Review in due course and will set out next steps once this consideration is complete. I will meet representatives from across the sector in the next month to discuss the issue before reaching conclusions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 120986 on General Practitioners: Contracts, what evidence his Department holds which shows that patients had improved care as a result of changes to Advice and Guidance.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121056 on General Practitioners: Contracts, when the review of the Carr-Hill formula will conclude; and when he plans to publish its findings.

Phase one of the Carr-Hill review concluded on 31 March, with work currently under way to review options presented by the review team for reforming the formula. Given the complexity of the currently funding model, any changes to the formula will be given careful consideration. Subject to ministerial agreement to the recommendations of the review, the technical development of the new formula will begin. There is currently no confirmed timetable for the conclusion of the next stage of the review.Findings from the review will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.The purpose of the review is to ensure that funding for general practice is distributed equitably and is targeted towards areas that need it most. As part of this, the review has given consideration to the unavoidable costs based on geographical areas, including delivering services in rural areas.

What steps will be taken to consider rural GP practices in the review of the Carr-Hill formula.

Phase one of the Carr-Hill review concluded on 31 March, with work currently under way to review options presented by the review team for reforming the formula. Given the complexity of the currently funding model, any changes to the formula will be given careful consideration. Subject to ministerial agreement to the recommendations of the review, the technical development of the new formula will begin. There is currently no confirmed timetable for the conclusion of the next stage of the review.Findings from the review will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.The purpose of the review is to ensure that funding for general practice is distributed equitably and is targeted towards areas that need it most. As part of this, the review has given consideration to the unavoidable costs based on geographical areas, including delivering services in rural areas.

What discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on the development of UK based research about (a) emerging drugs and (b) treatment options for patients with MND.

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease (MND) research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by 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, primarily by the Medical Research Council.The Government is investing in MND research across a range of areas, including possible treatments. For example, the MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, has twelve projects all aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.The NIHR has also invested £8 million into EXPERTS-ALS, a pre-clinical study which is designed to accelerate the identification and testing of the most promising treatment candidates for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of MND. This will connect to the later phase platform trial, MND SMART.In August 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved Tofersen to treat SOD1-ALS, a rare form of MND. Research into Tofersen was supported by NIHR’s Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, and all three trial phases were delivered by the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network, demonstrating tangible impact of NIHR funded research into MND.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into MND. 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 the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on MND to all NIHR 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.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) NHS England and (b) integrated care boards on the potential impact of the adequacy of physical therapy services on patients' cognitive ability.

Department officials hold regular discussions with NHS England on how integrated care boards are commissioning and delivering community health services, which includes physical therapy.Access to sufficient, high-quality physical therapy is important in supporting patients’ physical function and overall wellbeing. Appropriate, individualised therapy can help to improve mobility, manage pain, and support participation in day-to-day activities. These outcomes may also contribute to maintaining independence and promoting engagement in activity, which can be beneficial for cognitive health and wider quality of life.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. The plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on reviewing the penalties associated with uninsured driving.

The Government wants to ensure that the motoring offences framework is suitable. That is why, as part of our new Road Safety Strategy we are consulting on changes to the motoring offences, including consideration of whether the minimum penalties for the offence of driving uninsured should be increased.

Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department has given to the role of the CQC in the process of the Supported Housing regulation: consultation.

My department has engaged with the CQC throughout the development of the reforms to address poor quality supported housing and will continue to do so. The government remains committed to implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act and published a response to the consultation on the measures in the Act on 16 April.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March to Question 116014 on Supported Housing: Regulation, what measures he has put in place to respond to the Supported Housing regulation: consultation.

My department has engaged with the CQC throughout the development of the reforms to address poor quality supported housing and will continue to do so. The government remains committed to implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act and published a response to the consultation on the measures in the Act on 16 April.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 122861 on Business Rates, Gyms and Leisure Centres, whether she hold discussions with the leisure centre and gym sector on the impact of business rate costs on levels of service provision to promote health and wellbeing in communities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to gyms and leisure facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and play an important role within communities. We regularly engage with the leisure sector on a broad range of issues, including the impact of business rates. DCMS engaged extensively with HM Treasury in the run up to the Autumn Budget 2025 and provided evidence to HM Treasury on the anticipated impact to the sport and leisure sector. The Government has announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in their business rates bills because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down, next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 110068, when the reprioritisation exercise is due to complete.

The reprioritisation exercise is ongoing. In the meantime, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is currently focused on delivering Remediable Pension Savings Statements (RPSS) for members in scope of the McCloud remedy, with about 21,000 cases still pending.Pension Savings Statements (PSS) for the 2024/25 tax year have been issued for cases that could be handled automatically which resulted in roughly 14,000 successful statements.The NHSBSA is providing the Pensions Regulator with monthly updates on the provision of RPSS’ and PSS’ due to the delays. The NHSBSA also holds regular meetings with the Pensions Regulator on McCloud remedy progress.If a member requires an urgent PSS they can contact the NHSBSA directly via the member helpline.

In relation to the Neighbourhood Health Framework's aim to have 25% of GP referrals diverted back to GPs via amendments to advice and guidance by 2027 for 10 high volume specialties, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the total number of referrals that is likely to be and (b) the increase in time and resources required in general practice to support diverted patients.

As set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework, National Health Service providers of Referral to Treatment consultant-led care are expected to prioritise Advice and Guidance (A&G) across at least ten specialties where it will have the greatest overall benefit. The ten specialties are selected locally at provider-level. General practice should be involved in discussions to decide on which are the most appropriate and we expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to support the use of A&G through their strategic commissioning for 2026/27. We do not centrally hold information regarding which specialties providers have selected. Regarding the 25% aim, the National Director for Primary Care and Community Services made clear there is no national target. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/letter-specialist-advice-elective-single-point-of-access/ The 2026/27 GP Contract embeds the £82 million of funding from the previous A&G enhanced service, into core practice funding. Embedding A&G in the core contract recognises it as routine clinical practice, removes annual signups, and provides more predictable funding while supporting consistent patient pathways. A general practitioner’s (GP’s) clinical decision to refer remains unchanged and GPs should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient’s best interest.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 118875 on Hospices: Children, if he will publish the amount that each children and young people's hospice will receive in the 2026-27 financial year.

Children and young people’s hospices will receive at least £26 million, adjusted for inflation, in revenue funding for 2026/27. NHS England has recently communicated the details of this funding allocation and dissemination to 35 individual children and young people’s hospices, and their respective integrated care boards, although the Department is not yet in a position to share those individual allocations publicly.Communication regarding future allocations, in 2027/28 and 2028/29, will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.Additionally, we have supported the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult, and children and young people’s, hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

What recent discussions the UK Neuro Forum has had on (a) care pathways, (b) treatment options and (c) access to drugs for patients with motor neurone disease.

The UK Neuro Forum brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system and to discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including motor neurone disease (MND).At the second meeting of the UK Neuro Forum on 10 September 2025, one of the key areas of discussion was cross-border care. The forum met again most recently on 18 March and discussed workforce challenges.

In relation to the Medium Term Planning Framework published by NHS England in October 2025, which 10 specialities each ICB has identified as the most effective for the use of Advice and Guidance.

As set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework, National Health Service providers of Referral to Treatment consultant-led care are expected to prioritise Advice and Guidance (A&G) across at least ten specialties where it will have the greatest overall benefit. The ten specialties are selected locally at provider-level. General practice should be involved in discussions to decide on which are the most appropriate and we expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to support the use of A&G through their strategic commissioning for 2026/27. We do not centrally hold information regarding which specialties providers have selected. Regarding the 25% aim, the National Director for Primary Care and Community Services made clear there is no national target. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/letter-specialist-advice-elective-single-point-of-access/ The 2026/27 GP Contract embeds the £82 million of funding from the previous A&G enhanced service, into core practice funding. Embedding A&G in the core contract recognises it as routine clinical practice, removes annual signups, and provides more predictable funding while supporting consistent patient pathways. A general practitioner’s (GP’s) clinical decision to refer remains unchanged and GPs should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient’s best interest.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2026 to Question 105219 on Small Businesses: Business Rates, what recent discussions she has had with small businesses on the Government's work to develop a redesigned transitional relief scheme and a supporting small business scheme.

The Government regularly engages with a range of businesses and their representative bodies across different sectors to discuss business rates.The Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills following the revaluation. This includes a redesigned Transitional Relief scheme and an expanded Supporting Small Business scheme. As a result of these measures, most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15 per cent or less in 2026/27, or £800 for the smallest.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that the motor insurance industry is working closely with vehicle manufacturers to review the vehicle risk rating system.

The cross-government taskforce’s final report highlights the wider range of areas in which government is taking action; including taking steps to address vehicle theft and the cost of repairs. The government will continue to deliver against the actions set out in this report. The FCA will continue to call for more action to be taken by social media companies to prevent fraudulent content from appearing on their platforms. Where the FCA identifies unlawful content, including ghost broking, ad-spoofing and material posted by finfluencers, it will seek to get the content removed and work with other partner agencies, including law enforcement, working to combat these activities.The taskforce encourages the motor insurance industry to work closely with vehicle manufacturers to review the vehicle risk rating system.