Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Housing Developments: Primary Care Capacity

Monday 20 February 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Andrew Selous asked the Minister about discussions with Cabinet colleagues on providing primary care capacity for new housing developments.
  • The Minister responded that the Government recognise the urgency of increasing primary care capacity in new housing areas.
  • The community infrastructure levy is mentioned as a tool to ensure local planning engages with healthcare provision requirements.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Selous Con
NHS Housing
Context

The question arises from the need to ensure adequate healthcare services are available in areas experiencing significant new housing development.

Question

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on provision of primary care capacity for large-scale new housing developments. New housing needs infrastructure, including primary care. The current system is failing to allocate sufficient increased general practice capacity when we build tens of thousands of new homes. People must be able to see a doctor in their new homes.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

New housing needs infrastructure, including primary care services. The Government recognise the issue's urgency. The community infrastructure levy places firmer requirements on local planning to engage with healthcare provision in the local community. I would be happy to meet him to discuss this matter further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for discussions with Cabinet colleagues was not directly addressed

How: I Would Be Happy To Meet Him To Discuss This Matter Further

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Q2 Andrew Selous Con
NHS Housing
Context

The question arises from the need to ensure adequate healthcare services are available in areas experiencing significant new housing development.

Question

I am running out of ways to describe how unbelievably awful the current system is, which is failing to allocate sufficient increased general practice capacity when we build tens of thousands of new homes. Do the Government recognise the urgency of this matter? If we are going to build housing, people must be able to see a doctor when they move into their new homes.

Answer from Rachel Maclean

Yes, the Government do recognise the urgency of this issue. Access to healthcare is one of the most important concerns—if not the most important concern—of local communities when new housing is planned. The community infrastructure levy places much firmer requirements on local planning to engage with healthcare provision in the local community.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for discussions with Cabinet colleagues was not directly addressed

How: I Would Be Happy To Meet Him To Discuss This Matter Further

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)