The Prime Minister opened by wishing the Cabinet a Happy New Year
and saying there was a lot of work to do this year to deliver on
the Plan for Change. The Prime Minister said the publication of
the government's elective reform plan this week was an important
part of this, delivering care more productively and more
personally, giving patients more choice and more control,
empowering GPs, working with the private sector and aligning
funding with outcomes.
The Health and Social Care Secretary added that this plan would
take the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, tackle health
inequalities, and take advantage of life sciences, technology,
and data.
The Leaders of the Commons and Lords updated on business in
Parliament. The Leader of the Commons said that legislation is
one of the most important levers the government has to deliver
the Plan for Change and the Government had already introduced 30
bills, covering key priorities including energy, transport, and
workers' rights. Of these, three bills had already received Royal
Assent with a further two having completed their parliamentary
passage and awaiting Royal Assent. She added that this term would
see further priorities including Planning and Infrastructure,
Borders, and Crime and Policing, while this week we will see
Second Reading of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The Prime Minister then turned to Housing, setting out its
critical importance in delivering the government's core growth
mission and raising living standards across the country. He
underlined the scale of change needed to resolve the housing
crisis – and the radical response required.
The Deputy Prime Minister updated on MHCLG's work on the
long-term housing strategy, tackling the acute housing crisis the
country faces which has seen a generation locked out of home
ownership and 160,000 children in temporary accommodation. At the
heart of this strategy is our plan to deliver 1.5 million new
homes, requiring an increase in new supply not seen since the
1950s, the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a
generation, and delivering new homes and communities that come
with the infrastructure and public services that people need.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer reiterated that this work was
crucial for the growth agenda, and that the failure to build
houses near to good jobs where people want to live had held back
businesses and impacted living standards, and tackling this issue
was a key part of leaving no stone unturned to deliver growth.
