Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact the Department's UK City of Culture Competition and new UK Town of Culture competition will have on local communities.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The strong evidence from UK City of Culture shows that supporting local culture pays both economic and social dividends. Town of Culture is a new competition to ensure smaller places across the UK can share in the real impact by shining a spotlight on places and enabling them to tell their story. The winner of the new Town of Culture competition will receive £3.5 million and, for the first time ever, I have confirmed from the outset that the City of Culture winner will receive £10 million.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to commission an independent review of the compliance of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's maternity and parental leave policies with employment law.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
A comprehensive funded programme to modernise all Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) supporting tools and policies is already underway, in collaboration with relevant Government Departments and stakeholders. There are no plans for an independent review.
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act became law in April 2024 and the Ministry of Defence Policies have been updated, with appropriate consultation, to comply. Any legacy or existing RFA policy or process that is identified that may inadvertently or deliberately have scope to do so will be suspended and reviewed, in collaboration with expert stakeholders and our Maritime Trade Unions.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on ensuring that (a) Portsmouth and (b) other areas receive sufficient funding to meet national cancer waiting time targets as part of the National Cancer Plan for England.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster , including in Portsmouth. We have already delivered 5.2 million more appointments nationwide - including many for cancer diagnosis and treatment, helping more patients to access cancer care.
The Government has committed significant investment into cancer care as part of wider funding to reduce elective waiting times for diagnosis and treatment. At Spending Review 2025, we invested in new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, to build capacity for over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests.
The National Cancer Plan, to be published in the new year, will include further details on how we will how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of resources allocated to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's human resources function (a) to address parental policy concerns raised by trade unions (b) in general.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department keeps the allocation of resources under regular review to ensure it is able to meet its obligations. A targeted programme to develop the lived experience within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is underway, and this is balanced against wider civil service headcount considerations. The RFA routinely consults with Trade Unions.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel returning from maternity leave being required to (a) return to sea-based duties within a specified timeframe and (b) take unpaid leave to cover gaps in shore-based assignments.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Managers have latitude to consider individual needs when scheduling working patterns at sea. This includes recognising family circumstances, parental obligations and employee requests. It also necessarily means ensuring that this flexibility protects Defence outputs and maximises training opportunities while allowing all personnel to take leave and benefit from existing Civil Service terms and conditions of service.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) does not have any permanent onshore posts and there is no facility to provide bespoke roles adapted to individual circumstances. There are 100 rotational shore jobs that support RFA and Defence output, with clear key skills and experience requirements.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support is available to Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel who are (a) pregnant and (b) new parents where both partners are employed by the RFA; and what provision is made to ensure adequate childcare arrangements for seafaring couples.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Under the Maternity and Carers Act (MCA), women receive additional protections from 26 weeks of pregnancy. Alongside this, a comprehensive range of support is available for parental, maternity, paternity, adoption, carers, and shared parental responsibilities. These provisions include enhanced leave entitlements and tailored assistance through mechanisms such as Occupational Health, keep-in-touch days, and reasonable workplace adjustments.
This framework is complemented by a full programme of opt-in wellbeing interventions, activities, and advice delivered through the Employee Assistance Programme, the Defence Health and Wellbeing Portfolio, and Family and People Services. Further support is provided by linked organisations such as the Defence Sports and Recreation Association and the Civil Service Sports Council. In addition, the RFA workforce benefits from an extended welfare network under the umbrella of expert services, including the Navy Families Federation, ensuring holistic support for employees and their families.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes have been made to Royal Fleet Auxiliary shore-based assignment policies for personnel on maternity leave in the last two years; and what assessment he has made of the impact of those changes on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of female officers and ratings.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is committed to the principles of the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). We are enormously grateful for the vital contribution the RFA makes to the defence of the nation by supporting the Royal Navy.
While we recognise the needs of individuals within the RFA will vary, employment policies and processes are designed to promote fairness, equality and inclusivity. Fixed-period assignments are created based on Defence need rather than personal circumstances.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to implement the British Standards Institute PAS 5222 Safeguarding Children specification.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to safeguarding children across all settings, including out-of-school settings (OOSS). That is why the department launched a call for evidence on OOSS safeguarding to better understand current safeguarding practices and explore how best to strengthen them. This closed on 21 September, and we are now analysing the responses.
The department welcomes initiatives aimed at improving safeguarding, including the British Standards Institute Publicly Available Specification 5222. However, it is right that we take the time to carefully consider the evidence before setting out next steps for enhancing safety in the sector. We will respond to our call for evidence in due course.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service section 7 reports recommend shared care; and what training is given to officers of that service on (a) parental alienation and (b) equal parenting.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Cafcass does not record data on the proportion of section 7 reports that recommend shared care. This information is not recorded centrally, and the data would only be available from individual case file review at a disproportionate cost.
The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not think it is capable of diagnosis. Cafcass practitioners receive mandatory training on alienating behaviours. Cafcass’ training programme includes training on the domestic abuse practice policy (introduced in 2024) and on indicators of understanding why a child does not want to spend family time with a parent guide. This training makes it clear that the first step in assessing the reasons for a child not wanting to see a parent is to consider whether domestic abuse is a factor and to explore the pattern of behaviours through a trauma-informed lens.
Cafcass’ Practice Quality Standards prioritise the safety of the child and require practitioners to assess the risks to children and the risk of future harm. They require practitioners to make certain that their recommendations regarding with whom the child spends time or lives with flow directly from a detailed assessment and analysis of the nature of any risks to the child posed by one or both parents.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for first hearings in private family law cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The average waiting time for first hearings in private family law cases is nine weeks, as at Q2 2025 (April to June 2025). This is an improvement of one week when compared to the end of Q1 2025 (January to March 2025) and a two-week reduction when compared to 2022.
Only cases with a recorded proceeded hearing are included in the calculation (receipt to hearing). 'Proceeded' cases are those where the hearing was not vacated, and the case had not closed before the hearing was due.