Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Government’s Five Missions

Thursday 5 December 2024 · 9 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 7 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government's five missions aim to achieve higher living standards, energy security, safer streets, lower NHS waiting lists, and renewed confidence for children's future.
  • The Government announced 22.6 billion additional funding for the NHS over two years to reduce waiting times.
  • GB Energy, a new company, has been established to support clean power economic opportunities, with headquarters in Aberdeen.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Ranger Lab Wrexham
Crime & Law Enforcement NHS Economy Children & Families
Context

The question arises from the government's commitment to its five missions aimed at improving various aspects of life in the UK.

Question

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to implement the Government's five missions, including higher living standards, energy security, safer streets, lower waiting lists, and a renewed confidence for children's future?

Answer from Pat McFadden

The Government's five missions offer real benefits, including higher living standards, energy security, safer streets, lower waiting lists in the NHS, and renewed confidence for children's future. Progress includes launching a national wealth fund, additional £22.6 billion for the NHS over two years, new border security command, £1.4 billion more for school rebuilding, and removing onshore wind farm ban.

Answered
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Q2 Rebecca Smith Con South West Devon
NHS Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question addresses the need for inter-departmental coordination to avoid silos in implementing the government's five missions.

Question

How will the Prime Minister's five mission boards learn from past issues, such as the lack of join-up between Treasury and DEFRA on family farm tax and family business tax, to ensure these missions do not become departmental silos?

Answer from Pat McFadden

The hon. Lady is right that benefits of missions include working across departmental boundaries, despite challenges. Benefits for farmers and rural areas from energy security, lower NHS waiting lists, rising living standards, and other mission areas are expected.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or mechanisms to prevent silos were not detailed

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Q3 Andrew Cooper Lab Mid Cheshire
Mental Health Children & Families
Context

The question highlights the need for mental health support in schools to address barriers to opportunity for children.

Question

Too many children face barriers due to rationed access to mental health support and diminished special educational needs support. What cross-Government action will be taken to increase mental health support coverage to 100% of schools?

Answer from Pat McFadden

My hon. Friend is right; we have announced extra funding for special educational needs, which is rising up the agenda and causing anxiety. The missions aim to increase readiness of young children for starting school, addressing lifelong opportunity barriers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific action plan was not provided

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Q4 Richard Baker Lab Glenrothes and Mid Fife
Climate Scotland Business & Trade
Context

The question concerns the collaboration between UK and Scottish governments for renewable energy projects, specifically mentioning GB Energy headquartered in Scotland.

Question

How is my right hon. Friend ensuring collaboration across Government and with the Scottish Government to deliver the mission for growth through investment in renewables?

Answer from Pat McFadden

Good progress includes setting up Great British Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen. Co-operation between UK and Scottish Governments has been good to support clean power economic opportunities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific inter-governmental cooperation details were not provided

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Q5 Melanie Onn Lab Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes
Employment Energy Business & Trade
Context

The question seeks information on the timeline for full capacity operation of GB Energy, a publicly owned energy company.

Question

What is the timeline for GB Energy? When will it be up and running at full capacity? Can green skills support new jobs in North East Lincolnshire?

Answer from Pat McFadden

In five months, £25 million for company establishment and £100 million capital funding next year have been announced. Headquarters in Aberdeen with partnership with the Crown Estate selected. More details on priorities will come from Secretary of State later.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeline was not provided, only broad statements

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Q6 Andrew Ranger Lab Wrexham
Employment Children & Families
Context

The question addresses social mobility issues highlighted by the Social Mobility Foundation, stating that people from working-class backgrounds earn £6,000 less than their peers.

Question

A recent report shows people from working-class backgrounds are paid an average of £6,000 less. Does my right hon. Friend agree Labour's opportunity mission is critical to end this statistic and smash the class ceiling?

Answer from Pat McFadden

Britain should be a place where hard work means getting on in life, regardless of background. We aim to break the link between birth circumstances and future prospects. Actions include Government-funded childcare expansion and creation of 3,000 more school-based nurseries.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitments beyond broad statements were not provided

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Q7 Lisa Smart Lib Dem Hazel Grove
NHS
Context

The question highlights the impact of a £130 million repairs backlog at Stepping Hill hospital on NHS waiting lists, affecting essential workers.

Question

Stepping Hill hospital has a £130 million repairs backlog. People on elongated waiting lists include police officers, teachers and nurses, hindering mission delivery. Can the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that reducing NHS waiting lists is prioritised?

Answer from Pat McFadden

We announced an extra £22 billion for the NHS over two years in recent Budget. Reducing waiting times is at heart of missions, as current times are bad for health and economy.

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Q8 Alex Burghart Con Brentwood and Ongar
Context

The Prime Minister pledged to chair each mission delivery board upon entering Downing Street, but recent reports suggest he is not fulfilling this pledge.

Question

It is a pleasure to face the right hon. Gentleman across the Dispatch Box for what I believe is the first time. The day after he entered Downing Street, the Prime Minister pledged to personally chair each mission delivery board to drive through change. We now hear that he is not chairing each mission delivery board. Why has the Prime Minister broken his pledge?

Answer from Pat McFadden

Let me begin by welcoming the hon. Gentleman to his position; I hope his party leader will be giving him a Christmas bonus for productivity and hard work—he will certainly deserve it. The Prime Minister is very engaged in the delivery of these missions, and meets for missions stocktakes regularly with the Secretaries of State in charge.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific pledge to chair each mission delivery board was not addressed directly.

How: Welcome The Hon. Gentleman To His Position, Hope His Party Leader Will Be Giving Him A Christmas Bonus For Productivity And Hard Work

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Q9 Alex Burghart Con Brentwood and Ongar
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

There are growing concerns that the mission delivery boards are not being taken seriously, with members of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee questioning their governance structure.

Question

The right hon. Gentleman is right: as the holder of two shadow portfolios, I get double the money. There are growing concerns that the mission delivery boards are not being taken seriously. Those concerns were felt by members of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee yesterday, when the right hon. Gentleman's very capable permanent secretary said that 'the governance and the wiring of how we do this might not be immediately observable'. These boards are not Cabinet Sub-Committees, which means they are not authorised to make policy. The Prime Minister is not there, so his authority is absent. The Government will not reveal who is on them, what they discuss or when they meet. They are starting to sound like figments of the Government's imagination—a litter of Schrödinger's cats. Will the right hon. Gentleman at least commit to regular published updates on what each of the boards is doing, who sits on them, what decisions they make, what work they are undertaking and what achievements they have achieved?

Answer from Pat McFadden

The hon. Gentleman is going to get a published update in a couple of hours, when he will receive a very full account of what the boards have been doing, how they have been prioritising their work and what the next steps are.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for regular published updates was not fully addressed; only one update promised soon without commitment to regularity.

How: Going To Get A Published Update In A Couple Of Hours

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