Written questions by Heylings.

What his Department's planned timetable is for publishing guidance on the financial implications for GP partnerships of the NHS 10 Year Plan.

We remain committed to the GP partnership model and have committed to working with the GP Committee of the British Medical Association (GPC England) to secure a new substantive GP contract within this Parliament.The 10-Year Health Plan represents a significant opportunity for general practice. It signals our intention to build a neighbourhood health service, shifting resources from hospital to community, with general practice playing a central role. The excellent GP leaders we currently have across the system, and those we will nurture and develop for future generations, will be integral in shaping and delivering neighbourhood health.We will engage with GPC England and other key stakeholders on changes to the GP contract, longer-term General Medical Services contract reform and neighbourhood health arrangements over the coming weeks and months.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the availability of space in (a) surgeries and (b) community buildings on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.

Over the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to deliver a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community. The Department of Health and Social Care is currently determining how best to trial NHCs, including identifying potential site locations.Wherever possible, we will maximise value for money by repurposing poorly used, existing NHS and public sector estate. To support this, we have requested initial information from systems on local assets they already have.As strategic commissioners, integrated care boards will be key in identifying where NHCs are required, where more efficient and effective use could be made of existing assets, and defining their requirements for an NHC in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation & Modernisation Fund will upgrade more than a thousand GP surgeries across England. Improving use of existing buildings and spaces will enable improved productivity and projects will focus on works that unlock additional clinical space and make better use of existing buildings. They will include much-needed conversion, refurbishment and reconfiguration schemes.

What discussions he has had with private sector health providers on the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.

The 10 Year Health Plan for England sets out a transformed vision for planned care by 2035, where the majority of interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually, online or via neighbourhood services. Planned care will be more efficient, timely and effective and will put control in the hands of patients.The plan builds on the Elective Reform Plan and Independent Sector Partnership Agreement, published in January, setting a clear commitment to using spare capacity in independent sector providers to treat National Health Service patients, driving choice and empowerment for more patients, and entering discussions to expand NHS provision in the most disadvantaged areas to tackle health inequalities. The Government is steadfast in its commitment to the guiding principle that the NHS will always be free at the point of use, however it would be a dereliction of duty not to use every available resource to get patients the care they need.We have already started working with the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, the representative body for independent sector healthcare providers with over 100 members, to ensure independent healthcare providers can fully support the Government’s objectives to both bring down the electives waiting list, and to return the NHS to the constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to introduce the regulations for the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act.

We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will list the energy performance certificate ratings recorded for each building within the Parliamentary estate in each of the last five years.

The House of Commons retains copies of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) where we acquire new buildings or undertake major refurbishments. It also holds EPCs for buildings or spaces that we lease. These EPCs are the responsibility of our landlords.The buildings and EPC ratings for buildings in these categories are detailed in the table below. Data for Derby Gate is not available for the period of refurbishment running to 2022. We do not currently hold the data for 14 Tothill Street for 2021–22 202120222023202420251 Derby Gate D82D82D82Richmond HouseC66C66C66C66C6621 Dartmouth StreetA22A22A22A22A2264 Victoria StreetB46B46B46B46B467 Wootton StreetC74C74C74C74C74Education CentreB28B28B28B28B2814 Tothill Street (lease) B35B35B3550 Broadway (lease)B37B37B37B37B37 The areas of the Parliamentary Estate used by the House of Commons includes a number of freehold buildings that have not been subject to major refurbishment and where EPCs are not therefore required. The House of Commons also holds several properties in Bridge Street which are rented out for non-Parliamentary uses.We also hold Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for several buildings across the Parliamentary Estate. DECs are designed to show the energy performance of public buildings. As part of our commitment to sustainability and compliance, we commission annual DECs for many of our buildings. These certificates are publicly accessible via the Find an energy certificate service on GOV.UK. DECs are also displayed at the Palace of Westminster and Portcullis House.Pages 39–46 of the House of Commons Administration Annual Report and Accounts 2024–25 provide an Environmental Review detailing the steps the Administration is taking to increase sustainability as well as data on emissions and energy consumption for the Estate (House of Commons: Annual Report & Accounts 2024-25).

What the freight throughput was in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) passing through Felixstowe port in the most recent 12 months for which data are available; and how many and what proportion of those TEUs were transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.

Container throughput passing through Felixstowe port in the calendar year 2023 was 3.246 million TEU. Source: DfT Port Freight Statistics 2023. Data for the 2024 will be published 30th July 2025.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6698eaf1fc8e12ac3edaff36/port0203.ods The Department for Transport does not periodically collect data on hinterland movement of freight from seaports and therefore cannot provide the proportion of TEU that was transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to remove parental rights from people convicted of rape in cases where a child has been conceived as a result of that offence.

The Government has received a number of representations seeking to broaden the parental responsibility measure in the Victims and Courts Bill, including proposals to restrict the exercise of parental responsibility by individuals convicted of rape in cases where a child has been conceived as a result of that offence. We are carefully considering these suggestions as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 39995 on Long Covid: Clinics, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the delivery of long covid care by integrated care boards.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for people with long COVID. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities, and to improve outcomes.To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to establish the Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice, to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society can be found at the following link:https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk/Earlier this year, NHS England completed a long COVID stocktake, aiming to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed the widely recognised challenges of significant variation in care delivery across England and a lack of comprehensive activity data.Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID services, noting those challenges. Discussions considered service prioritisation and potential COVID Inquiry recommendations.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the use of Defence Bonds for financing military expenditure; and whether her Department has had recent discussions with financial investors on their issuance.

As the Prime Minister announced in February, we are fully funding the path to 2.5% by reducing ODA spending. That is why we can announce a £10.9bn real-terms increase to the MOD budget over the Spending Review period. On top of this, we are recognising the contribution provided by our intelligence agencies on defence, in line with practice among our Allies. This means that in 2027-28 we expect to reach 2.6% of GDPThe increase in defence spending will be funded by reducing ODA from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027, and reinvesting it into defence.The government’s core gilt programme is the most stable and cost-effective way of raising finance to fund the day-to-day activities of the government, owing to the depth and liquidity of the market. This is, in part, down to the fungibility of the instruments issued to the market. Issuing bonds aimed at financing specific areas of spending risks fragmenting the gilt market, which would not be consistent with the government’s debt management objective of minimising the long-term cost of financing, taking into account risk.The government keeps under regular review the introduction of new debt instruments. The government would however need to be satisfied that any new instrument would meet value-for-money criteria, enjoy strong and sustained demand in the long term, and be consistent with wider fiscal objectives.

How many overheating incidents have been logged in NHS hospitals in the East of England in each of the last five years.

There were 665 overheating incidents logged in National Health Service hospitals in the East of England over the past five years. The following table shows the number of overheating incidents logged in NHS hospitals in the East of England in each of the last five years:YearOverheating incidents in East of England2023/24772022/231052021/222182020/212652019/20Not collectedSource: Estates Returns Information Collection data, available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of support for the Mozambique LNG project on the UK’s international climate diplomacy priorities.

UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors and other lenders, including export credit agencies, and other stakeholders, regarding the latest status of the Mozambique LNG project. At present, UKEF is engaged in conducting relevant due diligence which has yet to conclude.UK Export Finance follows internationally recognised frameworks for managing environmental, social & human rights risks and impacts of relevant projects. UKEF will take proper account of relevant factors, including international climate change and human rights issues.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of UK support for the Mozambique liquefied natural gas project on the global clean energy transition.

UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors and other lenders, including export credit agencies, and other stakeholders, regarding the latest status of the Mozambique LNG project. At present, UKEF is engaged in conducting relevant due diligence which has yet to conclude.UK Export Finance follows internationally recognised frameworks for managing environmental, social & human rights risks and impacts of relevant projects. UKEF will take proper account of relevant factors, including international climate change and human rights issues.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of support for the Mozambique liquefied natural gas project on the UK’s international human rights obligations.

UK Export Finance is currently in talks with project sponsors and other lenders, including export credit agencies, and other stakeholders, regarding the latest status of the Mozambique LNG project. At present, UKEF is engaged in conducting relevant due diligence which has yet to conclude.UK Export Finance follows internationally recognised frameworks for managing environmental, social & human rights risks and impacts of relevant projects. UKEF will take proper account of relevant factors, including international climate change and human rights issues.

Whether he plans to publish clear guidance on the definition of community energy; what steps he is taking to tackle (a) capacity and (b) skills shortages in its development; and what steps he is taking to ensure that funding can be (i) accessed and (ii) utilised at local level.

The Government recognises the role community energy plays in ensuring that the public benefits directly from the energy transition and, in partnership with Great British Energy (GBE), is taking steps to maximise that role, including exploring a definition for community energy which could provide clarity to a number of relevant stakeholders when engaging with community energy organisations. GBE will supercharge existing support to local and community energy projects. To support stakeholders in accessing and deploying funding, GBE will also provide commercial, technical and project planning assistance, increasing capacity and capability to build a pipeline of successful projects in local areas.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting a spatial energy planning approach to better align land use planning with net zero objectives.

In October 2024, the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, jointly commissioned the National Energy System Operator to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP): the first ever spatial energy plan for Great Britain, to support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across both land and sea. The SSEP will help bring about an efficient and net zero consistent energy system and provide greater clarity to industry, investors, consumers and the public. The plan’s methodology was published in May 2025, with the SSEP due to be published in 2026.

Whether he plans to introduce additional regulatory mechanisms to ensure the financial viability of community energy schemes under the Great British Energy Bill.

The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change. In March, we published a response to a consultation, started by the previous government, on the barriers to community energy. We will learn from the responses to the consultation to inform our future work on community energy. The Government also recognises requests to take steps to better enable local energy markets. The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore the policy and regulatory barriers and solutions for the community energy sector. The energy industry has also been working to make changes to industry rules to support local trade of energy, including modification P442 of the Balancing and Settlement Code, which came into effect in February 2025. The Department is working closely with Ofgem and other key stakeholders to develop this work further.

What plans his Department has to publish a national strategy on community energy.

The Government recognises the importance of communities being at the heart of the energy transition and the benefits of communities owning energy infrastructure in their own community. Great British Energy will take forward the Local Power Plan and working alongside DESNZ to unlock regulatory changes will drive forward an expanded community energy sector across the UK. We will say more about the Local Power Plan in due course.

What assessment he has made of the merits of policy in (a) Denmark, (b) Germany and (c) other countries in increasing community energy.

My Department regularly looks to good practice from other countries and will continue to build on those experiences and lessons learned as we jointly develop the Local Power Plan with Great British Energy.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) streamline and (b) better resource Neighbourhood Plans in (i) less affluent communities and (ii) other communities.

Following the Spending Review, my Department has announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. Technical support which has already been awarded will continue to be provided but must be completed before the end of March 2026. The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing statutory Locally Determined Contributions; and what assessment he has made of the resources that would be required by local authorities to deliver them effectively.

The Government recognises the important role of local places in driving action to help realise our national net zero targets. Local government has autonomy and flexibility in how they choose to deliver net zero, according to the varying needs and opportunities of each local area. Government provides a range of support for local government to deliver net zero; for example, Great British Energy, our new publicly-owned energy company, will support local energy generation by partnering with local government to increase the roll-out of renewable energy projects. Government also funds the Local Net Zero Hubs which support local authorities across England to develop net zero projects and attract commercial investment, including through information and knowledge-sharing.