Written questions by Morrison.

Whether (a) integrated care boards and (b) local GP federations will be able to reprioritise bids for funding under the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund.

We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England.These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care. By working within existing footprints there will be no additional revenue costs associated to the work funded by the PCUMFThis will directly address the issue of staff who cannot work at full capacity due to space limitations and will enable practices to offer more appointments with their existing workforce through better use of space. The Government has already hired more than 1,500 extra GPs and announced an £889 million funding boost, the biggest for the sector in years.To ensure good management of public money, the schemes that have been selected will of course be subject to final business case approvals and due diligence. Integrated care boards and GP federations will not be able to unilaterally realign the schemes which have already been agreed, however if an individual surgery is not able to proceed, then local leaders will select another priority scheme to utilise the funding.

How much of the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund is being used for (a) digitisation projects and (b) physical improvements to GP premises.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future and recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects. We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice surgeries across England.We have made sure that every single region across the country receives part of the funding, so benefits are felt nationwide. Decisions were made based on the highest priority of need and where the investment would quickly create additional clinical space, specifically to deliver more appointments.NHS England worked with all the integrated care boards (ICBs), including in Greater Manchester, to prioritise the schemes that local health leaders identified as meeting their communities’ most urgent needs.The Greater Manchester ICB has been allocated £5.6 million from the PCUMF to be spent on physical improvements resulting in additional clinical space and increased access to appointments. Digital transformation projects were not considered to be in scope for the £102 million of funding.

If he will take steps to ensure that GP practices with (a) poor building quality, (b) insufficient capacity and (c) other significant estate issues are allocated funding through future rounds of the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments, to ensure we have world class infrastructure across the entire NHS estate.We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, supporting improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity, and enabling delivery of more appointments. Further support for NHS organisations delivering local and national priorities beyond this financial year is being considered as part of the Government’s Spending Review.However, general practices are not reimbursed for service charges nor additionally funded to undertake maintenance and improvements, and are independent contractors who should fund investment in maintaining their estate by utilising their own funds, borrowing, or through partnerships with third party developers.

What criteria were used to determine which GP surgeries received funding under the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund in the 2025-26 financial year; and what role integrated care boards had in the decision-making process.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future and recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects. We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF) to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice surgeries across England.We have made sure that every single region across the country receives part of the funding, so benefits are felt nationwide. Decisions were made based on the highest priority of need and where the investment would quickly create additional clinical space, specifically to deliver more appointments.NHS England worked with all the integrated care boards (ICBs), including in Greater Manchester, to prioritise the schemes that local health leaders identified as meeting their communities’ most urgent needs.The Greater Manchester ICB has been allocated £5.6 million from the PCUMF to be spent on physical improvements resulting in additional clinical space and increased access to appointments. Digital transformation projects were not considered to be in scope for the £102 million of funding.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of midwives in Stepping Hill hospital.

Decisions about the recruitment of midwifery staff are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.

What steps the is taking to help increase the number of midwifery staff in hospitals in Greater Manchester.

Decisions about the recruitment of midwifery staff are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.

Whether she plans to maintain the current residence nil rate inheritance tax band of £175,000.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 44920.

What steps she plans to take to enable parents who need to withdraw their child from school when SEND support is insufficient to do so.

Parents have a right to educate a child of compulsory school age otherwise than at school, provided that the education is suitable. Home education can be demanding and so should only ever be an informed and positive choice. If their child is in a mainstream school, parents can withdraw their child by notifying the school that they wish to home educate. If their child is in a special school under arrangements made by a local authority, then the parent must first seek local authority consent. This additional check is not intended to keep children in a setting that does not meet their needs, but rather to ensure that there are no educational suitability issues resulting from the loss of the support at the school.If parents have concerns that their child’s special educational needs (SEN) are not being met in school, then they should discuss these concerns with the school. If their child has an education, health and care plan, then they should also talk to their local authority. In either case, the package of support may need to be reviewed.The department is aware of the challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities SEND system, and the government has been clear that a more inclusive education system is needed to give children and young people the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive.

What steps he plans to take through the NHS 10 year plan to increase the number of NHS midwives.

A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, and how we ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.Getting the NHS back to working for patients means ending the workforce crisis across the health service. We intend to take a fresh look at the Long Term Workforce Plan, to ensure it fully aligns with the level of ambition and reforms required following the 10-Year Health Plan. Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual NHS trusts.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken to hold operators to account on their progress since the UK Network Operator industry roundtable discussion on 12 September 2024.

The Electronic Communications Code provides rights and obligations intended to facilitate the installation and maintenance of electronic communications networks, subject to conditions and restrictions set out in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has powers to take enforcement action against any breaches of the 2003 Regulations.Nonetheless, I am aware of community concerns with the deployment of new broadband infrastructure. Following my meeting with the industry, the Telecommunications Poles Working Group Best Practice Recommendations have been published, which includes an industry commitment to always consider the interests of communities.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in providing adequate protection for residents from unsuitable apparatus and lines of (a) Part 11 and (b) Part 12 of the Electronic Communications Code.

The Electronic Communications Code provides rights and obligations intended to facilitate the installation and maintenance of electronic communications networks, subject to conditions and restrictions set out in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has powers to take enforcement action against any breaches of the 2003 Regulations.Nonetheless, I am aware of community concerns with the deployment of new broadband infrastructure. Following my meeting with the industry, the Telecommunications Poles Working Group Best Practice Recommendations have been published, which includes an industry commitment to always consider the interests of communities.

What discussions she has had with recruitment agencies on compliance with their new responsibilities in relation to umbrella company legislation by April 2026.

The government is introducing legislation to close the tax gap and make the tax system fairer by making recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay. As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, this is expected to protect around £2.8 billion from being lost to umbrella company non-compliance across the scorecard period to 2029-30. Officials have engaged extensively with representatives of the recruitment industry in relation to this measure and will continue to do so. The government will set out full details of how this measure will operate, alongside draft legislation, later this year. The government will engage with stakeholders to ensure that they have the opportunity to provide feedback before legislation is introduced into Parliament. The government is committed to supporting businesses to prepare for the implementation of this measure and, to this end, will publish technical guidance for businesses that will be affected by it.

Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Lawn Tennis Association on the implementation of the 2024–2029 padel strategy.

I have regular discussions with national governing bodies of sport, including the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), on a range of issues including padel, and I welcome their strategic ambition to grow padel by making it accessible, welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make representations to his Israeli counterpart on complying with international (a) humanitarian and (b) criminal law.

The UK has repeatedly stated that all parties including Israel must observe international law in Gaza. Ministers have regularly pressed their Israeli counterparts to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and meet their obligations under international humanitarian law. On 19 May, in a statement with his French and Canadian counterparts, the Prime Minister stated that the Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. On 13 May the UK, along with European partners, called an urgent session of the UN Security Council to raise these issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to recognise the state of Palestine.

The UK commitment to a two-state solution is unwavering.  We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace. We are clear that does not need to be at the end of a process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Israeli security cabinet’s plan to capture and hold territory within the Gaza strip.

We have been clear that the UK strongly opposes the expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza. We have repeatedly stated that Palestinian territory must not be reduced in the conduct of this war or subjected to demographic change, and that there must be no forced displacement of people from Gaza. Ministers have made these views clear in their contact with Israeli counterparts, and we have also set this out in our joint statements with our partners and at the UN Security Council. On 20 May, the Foreign Secretary set out the government's latest steps in response to the situation in Gaza, including suspending negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement. He also made clear that if Israel pursues this military offensive as it has threatened, failing to ensure the unhindered provision of aid, we will take further actions in response.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on lifting the aid blockade of Gaza.

We call on the Government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza, now. The Foreign Secretary regularly presses his Israeli counterparts on these issues. We are calling on the Government of Israel to allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza, and let the UN and humanitarians save lives. On 13 May the UK, along with European partners, called an urgent session of the UN Security Council to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. I spoke with the Israeli Ambassador on 20 May to make clear that the UK stands firmly against Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza, its wholly inadequate plan for aid delivery and to demand that a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza takes place immediately.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact on waiting for an NHS dental appointment for (a) people in wheelchairs and (b) able- bodied people.

No specific assessment has been made on the impact of waiting for a National Health Service dental appointment for people in wheelchairs or able-bodied people. The Government is committed to NHS dental services being available for all who need them. We recognise that certain groups of patients may be vulnerable to oral health problems, and may find it more difficult to access dental care.We are tackling the challenges for all patients trying to access NHS dental appointments with a rescue plan providing 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and by recruiting new dentists to the areas that need them most.Many high street dental practices are wheelchair-accessible and patients can contact local practices directly to inquire about their facilities. If patients in wheelchairs have difficultly locating a high street dentist that caters to their specific accessibility requirements, community dental services provide specialised dental services to people with additional needs. Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered increasing funding for the Environment Agency for (a) capital and (b) appraisal work for (i) upstream water storage at Bramhall Green in Cheadle and (ii) other local schemes in preventing flooding.

The proposed capital project in Bramhall Green, Cheadle was not successful in receiving a Grant-in-Aid or Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Local Levy funding allocation in 2025/26. A robust prioritisation exercise was undertaken to determine which projects should receive funding and, unfortunately did not qualify. The bidding process for projects in 2026/27 has now opened and Bramhall Green, as well as Chorlton Brook Cheadle will bid to be able to progress next Financial Year. The Environment Agency continues to work with Mersey Rivers Trust in the Cheadle area to explore additional opportunities that can be pursued in the meantime. Nearby Poise Brook in Hazel Grove received £340k funding this year, including Grant in Aid allocation of £42,000. This was awarded to support the continuation of appraisal work and to further assess the shortlisted options. Should a viable scheme be identified through this work, it has the potential to bring significant benefits to the communities of Hazel Grove, Torkington, and Offerton Green, enhancing their resilience and providing greater peace of mind for the future.

What the average waiting time was for an able-bodied patient to access an NHS appointment in (a) Stockport Borough and (b) Greater Manchester in the latest period for which data is available.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We promised change, and we have delivered early, with a reduction in the list of over 219,000 pathways from July 2024 to February 2025.We do not hold data on the average waiting time for able-bodied patients to access a National Health Service appointment. This patient characteristic is not collected in the data which is used to assess waiting times.The current waiting list for all patients at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust currently stands at 35,824 patients, with a median average waiting time of 16 weeks. The current total waiting list for all patients in Greater Manchester stands at 436,509 as of February 2025, with a median average waiting time of 16 weeks.