Written questions by Lowe.

What has been the total cost to the public purse of the Gaza medical evacuation scheme for children.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2025 to Question 81587.

How many nights were spent in hotels by Departmental staff in financial year 2024-25 by the star rating of the hotel.

In financial year 2024/25 there were 6,269 nights spent in hotels by Department staff. We are unable to provide the star ratings of the hotels associated with these stays, as this information is not captured by our service provider.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 107846 on GP Practice lists, how many and what proportion of patients registered on 1 January 2026 were foreign nationals.

The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practice registrations that were for people not born in the United Kingdom.

What proportion of asylum seekers registered with a GP have a date of birth recorded as 1 January.

Data on the number of asylum seekers registered with a general practice (GP) is not held centrally. Data on the number of patients registered at a GP in England is published on a monthly basis and can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice

How many asylum seekers are registered with a GP by (a) day and (b) month of birth.

Data on the number of asylum seekers registered with a general practice (GP) is not held centrally. Data on the number of patients registered at a GP in England is published on a monthly basis and can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice

How many people are currently registered with a GP.

Data on patients registered at a general practice in England is published on a monthly basis and can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice

How many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

While the Department employs civil servants whose roles include work on transgender policy, diversity, equality, and inclusion, there are currently no civil servants who work in roles primarily focused on all these areas. As such, the total annual salary cost is £0.

What the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

The information requested is not held in this format in the Department’s accounts system and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What assessment he has made of the impact of staff parking charges on recruitment and morale at James Paget Hospital.

No assessment has been made of the impact of staff parking charges on recruitment and morale at James Paget Hospital.The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a top priority, and all NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.All NHS hospitals in England are expected to follow the published NHS Car Parking Guidance. The guidance makes clear that where hospital car parking charges exist, they should be reasonable for the area.In addition, free hospital car parking is already in place for ‘in-need’ groups, and this includes NHS staff working overnight.

How much (i) James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) Norfolk and Waveney Community Health and Care NHS Trust spent on external consultants in each of the last three financial years.

The following table shows the amount spent by James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Norfolk and Waveney Community Health and Care NHS Trust for the last three financial years: 2022/232023/242024/25James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust£360,455£181,287£154,043Norfolk and Waveney Community Health and Care NHS Trust£45,467£1,684£19,752 The information is published in their annual report and accounts on their websites, where further detail is available.

What steps he is taking to ensure that patients in Great Yarmouth receive equal access to NHS services.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan we are focusing the role of integrated care boards (ICBs) on strategic commissioning to improve population health. NHS England has published the Strategic Commissioning Framework which supports the development of care models that are better matched to local needs, improved access to appropriate services, and a stronger focus on population health and reducing inequalities. As outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan, neighbourhood health plans will be created, including for the Norfolk and Waveney ICB, which covers Great Yarmouth.

What assessment he has made of the level of ambulance handover delays at James Paget Hospital in each of the past three years.

NHS England publishes monthly data on ambulance handovers, including at the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust over the past three years. This information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/ambulance-management-informationIn addition, weekly handover data split by day is also published as part of national winter reporting. This information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/uec-sitrepWe are working closely with the trust and system partners to deliver ongoing, evidence-based improvement to ambulance handovers. Key actions include the Release and Respond Programme since December 2024, which targets long delays and supports rapid handovers, new protocols for managing hospital capacity and safe patient flow, enhanced discharge planning and long length-of-stay reviews, Same Day Emergency Care investment enabling same-day assessment and treatment, and enhanced geriatrician support for early assessment and frailty management.These initiatives are already delivering positive results with the average handover time reducing by 27 minutes in November 2025 compared to November 2024. Furthermore, current four-hour performance for November stands at 73.4%, up 10.3% from last November.

Whether he plans to provide additional funding to (i) James Paget Hospital and (ii) Northgate Hospital to help support (a) local residents and (b) its seasonal tourist population.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning and funding the care delivered by healthcare providers, including the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. The amount of funding received by each provider is based on the NHS Payment Scheme, which is a set of rules, prices, and guidance that determine how the providers of National Health Service funded healthcare are paid for the services they deliver.NHS England is responsible for determining the allocation of financial resources to ICBs. The process of setting funding allocations is informed by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, an independent committee that provides advice to NHS England on setting the target formula which impacts how allocations are distributed over time according to factors such as demography, morbidity, deprivation, and the unavoidable cost of providing services in different areas.NHS England produces a technical guide to allocation formulae, with the 2025/26 edition available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PRN01601-technical-guide-to-allocation-formulae-and-convergence-for-2025-to-2026-revenue-allocations.pdfThe edition covering 2026/27 to 2028/29 allocations will be published in due course.The NHS also has an operational pressures escalation levels (OPEL) framework which provides a standardised approach to support an effective, integrated, and coordinated response to acute trust operational pressures. This includes actions locally, regionally, and nationally that support the depressurising of services and ensure patient safety. Further information about the OPEL framework is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/integrated-opel-framework-2024-to-2026/#escalation-and-actions-in-response-to-operational-risks-and-pressures

Whether his Department has direct oversight of financial efficiencies at the James Paget Trust.

The East of England Regional Team has detailed and regular engagement with the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to discuss both their financial position and, more specifically, the delivery of their financial efficiencies. The monthly financial position and progress in delivering efficiencies is a key aspect of the monthly System Financial Review meetings with the trust’s Chief Finance Officer, alongside the integrated care board and other trusts within the local system.As of October 2025, the James Paget University Hospitals Trust is on track to deliver against its agreed efficiency target.

What steps he is taking to ensure that coastal hospitals such as the James Paget receive adequate NHS capital and revenue funding.

We remain committed to delivering all schemes within the New Hospital Programme, including James Paget, which will continue through the Spending Review 2025. The programme is funded for five-year waves of investment, averaging around £3 billion a year from 2030.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning and funding the care delivered by healthcare providers, including the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The amount of funding received by each provider is based on the NHS Payment Scheme, which is a set of rules, prices, and guidance that determine how the providers of National Health Service-funded healthcare are paid for the services they deliver.NHS England is responsible for determining the allocation of financial resources to ICBs. The process of setting funding allocations is informed by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, an independent committee that provides advice to NHS England on setting the target formula which impacts how allocations are distributed over time according to factors such as demography, morbidity, deprivation, and the unavoidable cost of providing services in different areas. There are a range of adjustments made in the core ICB allocations formula that account for the fact that the cost of providing health care may vary between rural and urban areas.ICB allocations for 2025/26 were published on 30 January 2025 and allocations for 2026/27 to 2027/28 were published on 17 November. These are available at the following links respectively:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2025-26/https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2026-27-to-2027-28/The Norfolk and Waveney ICB, which currently covers the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, received an uplift to its recurrent core services allocation of 3.85% in 2025/26.Following announced mergers due to take effect from 1 April 2026, a new NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB will cover James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 2026/27. The new ICB will see its recurrent core services allocation uplifted by 3.05% in 2026/27 and 3.29% in 2027/28.Budget 2025 confirmed a rise in the Department’s capital budgets to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period. This includes over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, with a further £16.9 billion to be allocated to ICBs and providers over the following four years. James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been allocated £46.8 million in operational funding for the period 2026/27 to 2029/30.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of GPs in Great Yarmouth constituency.

As of 31 October 2025, there were 66 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice (GP) in the Great Yarmouth Constituency. The median number of FTE doctors per 10,000 registered patients was 5.5, compared to the England median of 5.6.Since October 2024 we have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,600 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them from graduating into unemployment. This was a measure to respond to feedback from the profession and to help solve an immediate issue of GP unemployment.We have committed to training thousands more GPs across the country which will increase capacity and take the pressure off those currently working in the system.

If he will provide funding to help increase staffing levels at (a) James Paget University Hospital and (b) Northgate Hospital.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.Funding provided to NHS trusts, including James Paget University Hospital and Northgate Hospital, is not ringfenced for specific items such as staffing levels. Hospitals receive funding allocations which they can use at their discretion, based on local priorities.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the number of NHS dentists currently working in Great Yarmouth constituency on patients' access to urgent care.

We are determined to rebuild NHS dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.We have asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from April 2025.These appointments are available across the country, with specific expectations for each region. These appointments are more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.ICBs are also recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We are committed to reforming the dental sector and we will deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on shorter term improvements to the NHS dental contract on 16 December 2025. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest needs first while incentivising urgent care and complex treatments.

What information his Department holds on the number of children in Great Yarmouth constituency that were unable to access an NHS dental appointment in the last 12 months.

Data is not held on the number of children in the Great Yarmouth constituency that were unable to access a National Health Service dental appointment in the last 12 months.The data for the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, which includes the Great Yarmouth constituency, shows that 55% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025, compared to 57% in England. This year, resources have also been provided to Norfolk County Council to support 5,605 children through the national supervised toothbrushing programme.On 16 December, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on interim improvements to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments, and will reduce clinically unnecessary check-ups. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

If his Department will provide emergency funding to areas with the most severe dental shortages, including Great Yarmouth.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas such as Great Yarmouth.In 2024/25, the Government invested around £3.7 billion on primary care dentistry. We want to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Great Yarmouth constituency, this is the NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB.We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments across the country, with appointments more heavily weighted towards those areas where they are needed the most.ICBs are also recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on shorter term improvements to the NHS dental contract on 16 December 2025. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest needs first while incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms