Declares that the issue of the underfunding of local pharmacies is threatening their ability to continue to serve communities and areas such as Bradford South; notes that pharmacies are vital as points of access for face-to-face healthcare advice and NHS support; and further declares that access to pharmacies is vital for preventing excess pressure on GPs and hospitals across the country.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to support pharmacies as they seek to recover from the pandemic, ensuring that they can continue to provide a high standard of care to patients within the community.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Judith Cummins, Official Report, 6 September 2023; Vol. 737, c. 510 .]
[P002850]
Observations from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Neil O’Brien):
The community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) 2019-24 five-year deal, agreed between the Department, NHS England and Community Pharmacy England, commits £2.592 billion every year to the sector. In September 2022 we announced a further one-off investment in the sector of £100 million across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years. In May this year, as part of our delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, we announced a further investment of up to £645 million over two years to introduce a Pharmacy First service for seven common conditions and to expand the existing pharmacy contraception and blood pressure check services. In addition, pharmacies are making a growing contribution to our flu and covid-19 vaccine programmes and can supplement CPCF income by participating in these programmes.
The current five-year deal is coming to an end at the end of this financial year and we will consider what comes next for pharmacy. As part of this planning, NHS England has committed to commissioning an economic study to better understand the cost of delivering pharmaceutical services. That study will feed into any future funding decisions on community pharmacy.
Treasury
Face to face banking services
The petition of residents of Hornsey and Wood Green,
Declares that the petitioners are extremely disappointed at the announcement of the closure of Halifax's Muswell Hill branch in November 2023, further notes that bank branches are the heart of communities, and are relied upon by local communities, especially old and disabled people, those who need access to cash and those without internet banking; further notes that they are also vital for local businesses.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to act to protect essential in-person banking services.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Catherine West, Official Report, 19 September 2023; Vol. 737, c. 1329.]
[P002857]
Observations from The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Andrew Griffith):
The Government thank the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West MP) for submitting the petition on behalf of her constituents regarding the closure of the Halifax Muswell Hill branch and the provision of in-person banking services.
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
West Midlands Combined Authority
Transport
Levenshulme Station and Gorton Station ticket office closures
Railway station ticket offices
Reddish North station ticket office closures
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The Government are sorry to hear of her constituents’ disappointment at the planned closure of the branch. The way consumers interact with their banking is changing. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)s Financial Lives Survey found that in 2022, 88% of UK consumers used a form of digital banking, such as an app or online banking platform,. Indeed, according to the branch closure document, over three quarters of the customers using the Halifax Muswell Hill branch have also used other Halifax branches, internet banking or telephone banking.
As with other banking service providers, Halifax will need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering its strategy. Although the Government can understand constituents’ dissatisfaction, decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis.
The Government hope that the hon. Member can appreciate that it would therefore be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions. Government cannot reverse the changes in the market and in customer behaviour; nor can it determine firms’ commercial strategies in response to those changes. Having the flexibility to respond to changes in the market is what makes the UK’s financial services sector one of the most competitive and productive in the world, and the Government want to protect that. Indeed, a dynamic and competitive financial services sector drives innovation and incentivises banks and building societies to keep developing their banking products and services, creating better outcomes for customers.