theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the proportionality of data return requirements placed on small higher education providers compared to large universities. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​Whilst the department recognises that effective regulation brings a certain amount of data burden to those being regulated, we must ensure that English higher education (HE) remains world class, financially stable and good value for students.

​The department continues to work with the Office for Students to reduce unnecessary data burden, ensure a proportionate and risk-based approach to regulation, and to ensure the HE regulatory system is clearer, more effective, and more accountable.​
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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) blind and (b) partially sighted young people to access Further Education. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​Support for people with visual impairments in further education is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice, with tailored provisions depending on the needs of the individual.

All education and training providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities, including those with visual impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.

​Reasonable adjustments can include things such as adapting teaching methods (providing materials in accessible formats), using assistive technology (such as screen readers and magnifiers, speech synthesizers, accessible computers and tablets) modifying assessments (offering extra time or alternative formats), and offering personalised support services (including note-takers, interpreters, or mental health support).

​From year 9 it is mandatory for education, health and care plan reviews to support learners in preparing for the transitions to further education and/or employment.
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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to pages 12 and 19 of the report published by the Office for Students entitled Financial sustainability of higher education providers in England: 2025, published on 8 May 2025, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the potential impact of market competitiveness on (a) regional higher education provision and (b) access to higher education for students from underrepresented backgrounds. \p Josh MacAlister: Market competitiveness is a longstanding feature of our independent and autonomous higher education (HE) sector.

The regional and local provision of HE, and access to HE for students from underrepresented backgrounds, are both important components of our strategy for HE.

HE providers have duties to co-operate in the development and review of Local Skills Improvement Plans and have regard to the plan when making decisions in relation to their technical education or training provision.

The department will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, and will act to address the persistent gaps for different student groups and to break down the barriers to opportunity.

The department will soon publish its plans for HE reform as part of the post-16 Skills White Paper.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding Ukrainian language GCSE to the curriculum. \p Georgia Gould: Decisions about which languages to offer at GCSE in England are taken by four independent awarding organisations, AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC, rather than by central government. These organisations have the freedom to create a Ukrainian GCSE based on the subject content for modern foreign languages set by the department. We have written to these organisations to ask them to consider introducing a Ukrainian GCSE.

The British government stands steadfast behind the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government. The department is proud to support children and families from Ukraine during their transition to a new life in the UK. To do our part to support the Ukrainian people, we are supporting the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science in policy development and this year have launched a UK-Ukraine Schools Partnership programme, twinning 100 schools in the UK and Ukraine.
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Kirsteen Sullivan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the (a) impact of and (b) implementation of the inclusion of menstrual wellbeing education in the curriculum since September 2020. \p Georgia Gould: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department does not hold any data on these specific issues. It is for individual schools to deliver the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, using the statutory guidance which came into force in September 2020.

In July 2025 we updated the RSHE statutory guidance with regard to menstrual and gynaecological health, to include specific examples of period problems, including pre-menstrual syndrome, heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and to ensure pupils understand when to seek help from healthcare professionals. The new curriculum comes into force from September 2026. The updated statutory guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.
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Kirsteen Sullivan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide (a) support and (b) resources to schools to help them deliver the revised Relationships and sex education and health education guidance, published on 15 July 2025, in an (i) evidence-based and (ii) age-appropriate manner. \p Georgia Gould: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The statutory guidance is clear that schools are accountable for what they teach and should ensure that all relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) content is factual, age-appropriate and suitable for their pupils.

The government has commissioned Oak National Academy (Oak) to make lesson materials freely available. Oak is an independent arm’s length body that provides free, optional and adaptable curriculum and teaching resources to schools. As part of its RSHE curriculum resources, Oak has recently published new online safety lessons, covering topics such as misogyny, the prevalence of deepfakes, and reporting unsuitable content, amongst many others. Oak will publish its full RSHE curriculum resources from autumn 2025.

To further support teachers with taking on these important topics, we will be piloting a teacher training grant, starting early 2026.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to (a) improve and (b) expand the financial education resources available through Oak National Academy to help support schools to provide financial literacy teaching. \p Georgia Gould: In April last year, Oak National Academy (Oak) launched over 80 new financial education resources to support teachers in delivering high quality lessons and preparing children for life and employment in the modern world. The resources, which cover both primary and secondary, explore core financial concepts such as budgeting, saving and taxation, as well as more contemporary areas such as keeping money safe from scams, virtual spending whilst online gaming, and assessing claims made by influencers.

These have been created in partnership with the mathematics education charity, MEI, and the Association of Citizenship Teaching, and cover mathematics, citizenship and financial education. Oak will keep its offer under review based on teacher feedback and any changes required following the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56493 on Teachers' Pensions, what progress she has made on resolving outstanding Cash Equivalent Transfer Value cases. \p Georgia Gould: As at 4 September 2025, the number of unresolved Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) cases has been reduced to 433 from 3,062 at the end of October 2024. This includes recent CETV applications and as such there will always be a number of outstanding CETV cases at any given time.

The scheme administrator is now working through the most complex cases for members who have retired. These cases can currently only be processed clerically and the estimated calculation times are between 20 and 65 hours per case. The department is funding IT changes for the scheme administrator that are expected to significantly reduce calculation times.

This issue remains a top priority for the department and the scheme administrator, and the above actions are currently expected to result in the delayed CETVs being fully cleared by spring 2026.
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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to local education authorities to support school pupils with (a) endometriosis and (b) other (i) menstrual and (ii) reproductive health concerns. \p Georgia Gould: Pupils learn the facts about menstrual and reproductive health as part of compulsory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). This includes fertility, the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women, and the menopause. In July 2025 the department updated the RSHE statutory guidance to provide specific examples of period problems, including pre-menstrual syndrome; heavy menstrual bleeding; endometriosis; and polycystic ovary syndrome, to ensure pupils understand when to seek help from healthcare professionals. The new curriculum comes into force from September 2026. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

The Period Product Scheme, which launched in 2020, provides free period products to girls and women in schools and colleges in England from years 5 to 13. The scheme aims to remove periods as a barrier to accessing education and to support menstrual health.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including Level 2 qualifications for butchery and poultry dressing on the Free Courses for Jobs scheme. \p Josh MacAlister: The core Adult Skills Fund covers a very wide breadth of qualifications including those related to butchery and poultry dressing (for example the Level 2 Certificate for Proficiency in Meat and Poultry Industry Skills). The department sets funding rates which are designed to incentivise the delivery of “high value” courses in the Adult Skills Fund. Butchery courses (insofar as they are included in the Manufacturing Technologies Sector Subject Area) are in the “High” funding band which means providers receive more funding per learner than courses relating to other industries.

The government also funds training through the Level 2 Butcher apprenticeship standard and the Level 3 Advanced Butcher apprenticeship standard.
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Christine Jardine:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to increase the availability of interdisciplinary apprenticeships. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

​This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and ​skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners in England ​and support the industrial strategy. Apprenticeships standards, developed in ​conjunction with employers, are designed to provide learners with full competence in ​a specific occupation.​

​In August 2025, the government introduced the first seven foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, including construction and health and social care. Foundation apprenticeships support entry level occupations by providing a broad curriculum focussing on the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for the job, as well as employability skills to support the transition from full time education to work. The onsite trades foundation apprenticeship, for example, include aspects of a range of specialist occupations, such as brick layer, carpenter, and painter and decorator, supporting entry level competence as a construction worker.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many small businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors have accessed apprenticeship support schemes in the last three years in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Josh MacAlister: The department’s Apprenticeships by Industry Characteristics publication contains apprenticeship starts figures, including by sector, constituency, and size of businesses. This data has been available since 29 May 2025 and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics/2022-23.

Apprenticeship starts by constituency are available in the apprenticeships statistics publication. This data has been available since 17 July 2025 and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of recent university graduates are employed in roles that make use of their degree-level skills. \p Josh MacAlister: The department does not produce these estimates.

Graduate Outcome survey data published by HESA shows that around 70% of UK domiciled students who graduated with an undergraduate degree from a UK higher education provider during the 2022/23 academic year were in high-skilled employment fifteen months after graduation. This data was published in July 2025 and can be found in Table 12 here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb272/figure-12.

The Office for National Statistics have also published ad hoc statistics on employment in graduate roles. Available data for 2023 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/adhocs/2492onslocalemploymentingraduateandnongraduaterolesbyqualificationandsectorbyukregion2023.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training in (a) Cornwall and (b) Camborne and Redruth constituency. \p Josh MacAlister: The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England, however, these estimates are not available at lower-level geographies due to limitations with sample sizes. Therefore, NEET rates for young people aged 16 to 24 in Cornwall and Camborne and Redruth constituency are not available. Statistics for England can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.

Data showing the number of young people aged 16 and 17 years old who were known to Cornwall local authority and the number and proportion of those NEET or activity not known is accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5dbec461-d6ee-4ee3-19fd-08dde95206d2. These statistics are published as transparency data so some caution should be taken when using these figures.

Additionally, 16 to 18 destination measures are published, showing the percentage of pupils not continuing to a sustained education, apprenticeship or employment destination in the year after completing 16 to 18 study, that is six months of continual activity. The latest publication includes destinations in 2022/23 by parliamentary constituency boundaries at that time, and data for Cornwall local authority and Camborne and Redruth parliamentary constituency can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/5994cbf5-1e91-4af3-19ff-08dde95206d2.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) apprentices and (b) young entrepreneurs have access to financial education. \p Josh MacAlister: Financial education is integrated into the curriculum at key stages 3 and 4 (ages 11-16) through citizenship education and elements of the mathematics curriculum. Together this covers such areas as personal budgeting, saving for the future, managing credit and debt and calculating interest.

Financial education is not compulsory post-16, however, providers are free to teach it and our 16-19 study programme guidance sets an expectation that students take part in other non-qualification activity to develop life skills, including managing personal finances.

There are a range of financial education-related qualifications for 16 to 19-year-olds to study, in including qualifications and courses at levels 1 and 2, with both the mathematics GCSE and L2 Functional Skills Qualifications supporting financial education. At Level 3 there is the T Level in Finance and Core Maths, which also covers financial literacy.

The current curriculum and assessment review will consider coverage of areas including applied knowledge and skills young people will need in life and work such as financial education.

Upskilling in English and mathematics is a key feature of all apprenticeships and young apprentices aged 16-18 at the start of their apprenticeship are required to achieve English and mathematics qualifications.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of young people classed as NEET in Teesside. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​I refer the hon. Member for Stockton West to the answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69622.​
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of young people taking up carpentry and joinery apprenticeships. \p Josh MacAlister: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

The rate of young people’s apprenticeship starts has fallen over the last decade and we want to re-balance the programme towards young people beginning their careers.

As a first step, the department has introduced new foundation apprenticeships, an employment-based training offer that gives young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.

The first seven foundation apprenticeships became available in August 2025, including a foundation apprenticeship in onsite trades which supports the development of onsite construction skills, including carpentry and joinery.

These foundation apprenticeships will be underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. This is in addition to the existing employer and provider payments for taking on younger apprentices.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the financial impact of Office for Students regulatory fees on small higher education providers. \p Josh MacAlister: ​​In line with the recommendation set out in the Independent Review of the Office for Students (OfS), led by former Interim Chair of the OfS David Behan, the government plans to consult on the structure of fees charged to the sector by the OfS. The consultation will allow us to work with the sector to ensure that the system is fair, proportionate, and sustainable. We will be inviting views from across the sector as part of this process. An assessment of financial impacts upon all types of providers will be made as part of this work.​
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed International Tuition Fee Levy on the global competitiveness of higher education and research in England. \p Josh MacAlister: The immigration White Paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base.

This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic higher education (HE) and skills system. The department will engage with the HE sector on the design of the international student levy and wants to understand providers’ views on this work.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on (a) the proposed international student fee levy and (b) its potential implications for (i) education, (ii) research, (iii) skills and (iv) regional economies. \p Josh MacAlister: The immigration white paper sets out a series of measures that will achieve a reduction in net migration, while maintaining the UK’s globally competitive offer to international students and making a significant contribution to growth by boosting our skills base.

This includes the commitment to explore the introduction of a levy on higher education (HE) provider income from international students, with proceeds to be reinvested in the domestic HE and skills system. We will set out more details around the levy in the Autumn Budget.

HE providers are independent from government and, as such, are responsible for making financial decisions that support their long-term sustainability.

The government will set out its plans for HE reform soon, as part of the Post-16 Skills White Paper, and will work with the sector and the Office for Students to deliver the change that the country needs.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much her Department has spent on inland border facilities for customs checks since 2020. \p Dan Tomlinson: Customs infrastructure at Inland Border Facilities (IBFs) is essential to protect the UK by ensuring risk-based checks on goods entering and leaving the country can take place. HMRC has spent a total of £495m since 2020 on IBFs. This figure represents all costs up to and including 31st March 2025.

In addition to HMRC costs, the Sevington IBF was constructed by the Department for Transport. The total costs of this were £154 million. This includes £70 million on the Border Control Post (BCP), which allows biosecurity checks to take place on sanitary and phytosanitary goods (SPS).

In April 2025, Government announced amendments to existing legislation to require all approved border locations to provide and fund their own customs infrastructure. This includes border locations which currently benefit from Government provision of IBFs.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse of (a) building border inspection facilities, (b) operating border inspection facilities annually since construction and (c) in total was since the UK left the EU. \p Dan Tomlinson: Customs infrastructure at Inland Border Facilities (IBFs) is essential to protect the UK by ensuring risk-based checks on goods entering and leaving the country can take place. The cost to HMRC of building and setting up both enduring and temporary sites was £89m.

The annual cost to HMRC for the operation of IBFs is £32m.

The total cost since leaving the EU (up to 31st March 25) was £495m, this included £20m for decommissioning costs at temporary sites.

In April 2025, Government announced amendments to existing legislation to require all approved border locations to provide and fund their own customs infrastructure. This includes border locations which currently benefit from Government provision of IBFs.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received (a) warnings and (b) punishment for underpaying stamp duty in the last financial year. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC charges penalties in line with its legislation and guidance, according to what behaviour led to an inaccuracy. In 24/25, HMRC issued 116 SDLT inaccuracy penalties.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her planned thresholds are for income tax in 2029-30. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government is committed to keeping taxes for working people as low as possible while ensuring fiscal responsibility and so, at our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of harmonising gambling tax rates on the horseracing industry. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025.

If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to exempt domestic wine producers from wine duty rates. \p Dan Tomlinson: The wine industry makes a vital contribution to our economy and society. However, an exemption from alcohol duty that applied only to domestic wine producers is likely to be inconsistent with the UK’s legal obligations.   Any cut, or even a freeze, to alcohol duty represents a cost to the Exchequer. The baseline assumption is that alcohol duty will be increased annually, so that it does not fall in real terms

As with all taxes, the Government welcomes representations from stakeholders to inform policy development.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what performance indicators are used by the HMRC for the registration of (a) VAT registration numbers and (b) corporation tax authentication codes; and how often such targets were met in each of the last three years. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC aim to process 80% of VAT registration applications within 40 working days of receipt.

They processed 80.25% of VAT registrations within 40 days of receipt in 2022/23, 88.08% in 2023/24 and 94.73% in 2024/25.

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC. The HMRC Transformation Roadmap, published in July, sets out how they will deliver improved services which will mean a better experience for taxpayers, agents, and businesses.

There is no authentication code for Corporation Tax registration. For customers who register with Companies House, registration for Corporation Tax is automated. Information sharing means that HMRC systems create a customer record within 48 hours, without the need for any additional customer input. The customer’s unique taxpayer record is then sent to them by post. When a customer enrols to the Government Gateway for Corporation Tax, an activation code is issued automatically by post.
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Kirsteen Sullivan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to FOI2024/01172, whether she plans to review payment agreements made with businesses. \p Dan Tomlinson: At Autumn Budget 2024, the government committed to an independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers. The Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.  During Oral Questions on 1 July 2025, Greg Smith MP referred to comments made by an external stakeholder that were shared under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. HMRC Officials do not recognise the allegation that HMRC agreed deals with large employers allowing them to settle disguised remuneration liabilities for less than was legally due.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase opportunities for innovation in the economy. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government recognises that innovation is a key driver of long-term economic growth, higher productivity and improved living standards.

Public investment in research and development (R&D) will rise to £22.6 billion per year by 2029-30, supporting innovation across the government’s eight Industrial Strategy priority sectors.

The Government is also transforming the resources and capabilities of the British Business Bank, delivering a two-thirds increase in support for UK innovative businesses and increasing its overall financial capacity to £25.6 billion. With additional capital and greater flexibilities, the BBB will be able to continue delivering flagship programmes such as Start-Up Loans and the Nations and Regions Investment Fund.

To further incentivise innovation, the Government is maintaining generous rates in both the merged R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC) scheme and the Enhanced Support for R&D Intensive SMEs. The RDEC rate of 20% represents the joint highest uncapped headline rate of R&D tax relief in the G7 for large companies. The R&D reliefs will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure a year by 2029-30.

The Digital and Technologies sector plan sets out a vision for the UK to be one of the best places in the world for fast-growing technology businesses. In addition, the Government has accepted and is implementing all 50 recommendations of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, unlocking the full potential of AI.

The Digital and Technologies Sector Plan can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-and-technologies-sector-plan
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_190

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 269 of his Department’s report entitled FCDO annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025, published on 22 July 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the spend of the Health Institutions and Health Security Department on the contribution to global health multilaterals. \p Stephen Doughty: The reduction in spend by the Health Institutions and Health Security Department between 2024/25 and 2025/26 is calculated by comparing Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in 2025/26 with ODA programme outturn in 2024/25. Some of the payments made in 2024/25, including key contributions to Gavi and WHO, had originally been planned for 2025/26 and were brought forward to 2024/25 to ease future budget pressures. The reduction in spend largely reflects this re-profiling. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will meet all multilateral commitments in 2025/26 and continues to prioritise high impact global health institutions through strategic, multi-year funding.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_191
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_191

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government recognises Milorad Dodik as the President of the Repulika Srpska Entity following the upholding of his prison sentence and ban on holding office. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK does not recognise Milorad Dodik as the current President of the Republika Srpska Entity. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has upheld the decision of the Central Election Commission to remove Dodik's mandate, following his conviction, and this decision is final. The UK remains committed to the sovereignty, stability, constitutional order and fully supports local institutions in upholding the rule of law in BiH. Our Ambassador in BiH has made this clear in public statements. We call on all actors to respect the decisions of judicial authorities in BiH.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_192
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_192

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63282 on Business: Cybercrime, what steps the National Cyber Security Centre is taking to tackle those incidents of cyber crime. \p Stephen Doughty: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) works closely with Law Enforcement partners to respond to cyber crime. The NCSC also provides a range of services and guidance to help organisations defend against cyber incidents. These include the Early Warning service that shares threat intelligence of precursor indicators of ransomware.

Additionally, the NCSC regularly publishes advice and guidance on the mitigations that organisations can implement to help prevent them becoming a victim of cyber crime (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/). For example, the Cyber Essentials scheme is recommended as the minimum standard of cyber security for all organisations (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/overview). Organisations are 92 per cent less likely to make a claim on their cyber insurance if they have implemented the five controls outlined in Cyber Essentials.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_193
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_193

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025 to Question 69511 on James Scott Rhys Anderson, on what dates his Department has raised the issue of James Scott Rhys Anderson with their Ukrainian counterparts. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK regularly raises Mr Anderson's case with Ukrainian counterparts. Most recently, the former Foreign Secretary raised the case with Foreign Minister Sybiha on 15 August. The Prime Minister raised the case with President Zelenskyy on 24 July. I raised the case with Deputy Foreign Minister Mishchenko in June. We have been clear to the Russian authorities that Mr Anderson must be treated as a Prisoner of War, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We remain in close contact with Mr Anderson's family and are providing consular support.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_194
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_194

Andrew Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of hydrotherapy services on people with learning disabilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England advises that there is not a strong evidence base for the benefits of hydrotherapy for people with learning disabilities. As part of their duties under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are expected to ensure high quality services that put the wellbeing of people who draw on care at the centre of decisions and ensure positive outcomes. It is the role of local authorities to facilitate the personalisation of care and support services and encourage a variety of services for their population, such as community support options.

As set out in NHS England’s Planning Guidance, integrated care boards (ICBs) are expected to work with local system colleagues to ensure that there is high quality and accessible community infrastructure in place for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/

ICBs are expected to assign an executive lead role for learning disability and autism to support planning to meet the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_195
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_195

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve levels of early diagnoses of dementia. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate (DDR) to the national ambition of 66.7%. The estimated DDR for patients aged 65 years old and over at the end of July 2025 was 66.1%. The rate is an increase of 0.3% compared to the 65.8% in June 2025. This is an overall increase from March 2020 due to sustained recovery efforts.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme has already invested £13 million into a range of biomarker innovation projects which include a broad range of biomarker technologies, ranging from an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia, to using retinal scans to detect early-onset dementia decades before symptoms. Some of these innovations could support improved diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

We will also deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, in order to deliver rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

The Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will also set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_196
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_196

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to extend the NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant beyond the 2025-26 financial year. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.  We cannot yet confirm what the funding for 2026/27 will be, or how it will be administered.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.

The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_197
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_197

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the planned £29 billion annual increase in the NHS budget over the next three years will be allocated to children’s palliative care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services, including for children, are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB, must commission.

To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.

The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_198
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_198

Oliver Ryan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) address the funding disparity and (b) provide additional financial support for Pendleside Hospice in Burnley. \p Stephen Kinnock: Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area, but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. Pendleside Hospice in Burnley received £95,256 from the first £25 million tranche of this funding in 2024/25. It will receive £285,768 from the second £75 million tranche of funding in 2025/26.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.