Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) alter and (b) mitigate the National Institute for Care and Excellence's downgrading of terminal cancer to moderately severe.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not classified terminal cancer as moderately severe. The NICE is an independent body and is responsible for developing the methods and processes it uses to evaluate whether new medicines should be recommended for routine National Health Service funding.
In developing recommendations on whether medicines represent a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources, NICE is able to apply a weighting that recognises the additional value that society places on treatments for severe conditions. The weighting that is applied is calculated for each appraisal based on information on the expected shortfall in life expectancy and quality of life of people with the condition taking into account existing treatment options. NICE has concluded for several appraisals of medicines for advanced cancer that a weighting should be applied based on the severity of the condition. The latest data for appraisals published up to September 2025, show that NICE has recommended 84.8% of treatments for advanced cancers since the severity modifier was introduced compared to 69.1% under its previous methods.
NICE is monitoring the impact of the changes made following the methods review and has committed to considering modular updates to its methods and processes in the future. NICE has also commissioned research to gather further evidence on societal preferences that will inform future methods reviews.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling voluntary controlled schools to apply for urgent capital support funding.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.
The majority of capital funding for improving the school estate is provided through annual School Condition Allocations for large responsible bodies, such as local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary aided school bodies, to decide how to invest based on local knowledge of need. Small or stand-alone academy trusts and sixth form colleges instead bid for funding through the Condition Improvement Fund. The amount of funding available through each route is calculated using the same funding methodology.
In 2025/26, Norfolk Council were allocated almost £5.5 million to invest across its maintained schools, including voluntary controlled schools in South Norfolk constituency.
In addition, the government is investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme from 2025/26 through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme and expanding with a further 250 schools to be selected within two years.
The department provides additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis, where there are urgent safety issues with a building that cannot be managed independently by bodies responsible for school buildings.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling voluntary controlled schools to apply for the condition improvement fund.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.
The majority of capital funding for improving the school estate is provided through annual School Condition Allocations for large responsible bodies, such as local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary aided school bodies, to decide how to invest based on local knowledge of need. Small or stand-alone academy trusts and sixth form colleges instead bid for funding through the Condition Improvement Fund. The amount of funding available through each route is calculated using the same funding methodology.
In 2025/26, Norfolk Council were allocated almost £5.5 million to invest across its maintained schools, including voluntary controlled schools in South Norfolk constituency.
In addition, the government is investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme from 2025/26 through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme and expanding with a further 250 schools to be selected within two years.
The department provides additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis, where there are urgent safety issues with a building that cannot be managed independently by bodies responsible for school buildings.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support school condition allocations-funded schools with urgent school estate upgrades.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and renewal to improve the condition of the school and college estate, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26.
The majority of capital funding for improving the school estate is provided through annual School Condition Allocations for large responsible bodies, such as local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary aided school bodies, to decide how to invest based on local knowledge of need. Small or stand-alone academy trusts and sixth form colleges instead bid for funding through the Condition Improvement Fund. The amount of funding available through each route is calculated using the same funding methodology.
In 2025/26, Norfolk Council were allocated almost £5.5 million to invest across its maintained schools, including voluntary controlled schools in South Norfolk constituency.
In addition, the government is investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme from 2025/26 through to 2034/35, delivering rebuilding projects at over 500 schools across England within the existing programme and expanding with a further 250 schools to be selected within two years.
The department provides additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis, where there are urgent safety issues with a building that cannot be managed independently by bodies responsible for school buildings.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Written Question 11190, what steps his department plans to take to reduce the remand population over the next calendar year.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We continue to work closely with partners from across the criminal justice system to manage the growth in the prison remand population. The Sentencing Bill, currently being considered before parliament, introduces a package of amendments to the Bail Act 1976, which, alongside the presumption to suspend short sentences of 12 months or less, will help to address the unsustainable growth in the prison remand population.
This package of amendments includes changing the “no real prospect” test in the Bail Act 1976 so that fewer exceptions to bail will apply where the court considers that a sentence of immediate custody is unlikely. We are also adding to the factors that the courts must consider when deciding whether to refuse or grant bail to include consideration of whether the defendant is pregnant, a primary caregiver, or a victim of domestic abuse.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11190, what progress he has made on tackling remand numbers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We continue to work closely with partners from across the criminal justice system to manage the growth in the prison remand population. The Sentencing Bill, currently being considered before parliament, introduces a package of amendments to the Bail Act 1976, which, alongside the presumption to suspend short sentences of 12 months or less, will help to address the unsustainable growth in the prison remand population.
This package of amendments includes changing the “no real prospect” test in the Bail Act 1976 so that fewer exceptions to bail will apply where the court considers that a sentence of immediate custody is unlikely. We are also adding to the factors that the courts must consider when deciding whether to refuse or grant bail to include consideration of whether the defendant is pregnant, a primary caregiver, or a victim of domestic abuse.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consideration his department has given to making remand prisoners eligible for a) educational programmes and b) offender behaviour programmes.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that individuals held on custody, including those on remand, have access to appropriate rehabilitative and educational support while in prison.
Remand prisoners are eligible to access core education provision within prisons. This may include literacy, numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages, basic digital skills, as well as library services. On arrival, all prisoners undergo initial screening for learning needs and receive an individual Learning and Work Plan to support progression. Governors must ensure that education is available to all prisoners who can benefit, in line with Prison Rule 32, and prisoners on remand are given the choice to participate in these opportunities. While remand prisoners cannot access advanced learning funded through student loans or the Prisoner Education Trust, they are encouraged to participate in the core educational offer within their prison setting.
Accredited offending behaviour programmes are generally reserved for sentenced individuals, as remand periods and uncertain outcomes make it impractical to deliver these interventions before sentencing. We are focused on expanding appropriate rehabilitative provision for people on remand; probation pre-release teams support all people in prison, including on remand, with pre-release planning. The scope of the Commissioned Rehabilitative Services has been extended to include remand prisoners, offering practical support such as accommodation and for women, additional services addressing finance, family and social inclusion.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his department will provide the average number of visitation days, per prisoner, for a) all prisoners and b) disabled prisoners.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
However, a report about Social Contact in Prison published 11 December provides information about visit frequencies. The report notes that in the 12 months prior to June 2024, almost two thirds of prisoners (63%) had at least one face-to-face visit. 31% of prisoners received remote contact only and 5% of prisoners appeared to have had no contact.
The report can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-contact-in-prison-april-2019-to-june-2024.
We know that visits are crucial to sustaining relationships with close relatives, partners and friends, and help prisoners maintain links with the community. HMPPS aims to encourage and assist the maintenance of relationships between prisoners and their families to support their social rehabilitation. The Help With Prison Visits scheme (HWPV) supports visitors on low incomes by providing a contribution towards visits costs for close relatives, partners or sole visitors.
All visits areas must be accessible for all, including disabled prisoners and visitors.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his department will work with the Department for Education to legislate to allow prisoners to obtain a student loan more than 6 years from their earliest release date.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice is committed to enabling prisoners to access higher education while in custody and, alongside HMPPS, works with partners such as the Prisoners Education Trust and the Open University to widen access to higher education for prisoners.
The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education will continue to consider access to student finance for prisoners.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what action his department is taking to ensure prison estate maintenance providers are accountable for their performance.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The value and performance of the Department’s private-sector service providers is reviewed through routine contract and performance management and, in addition, ministers meet regularly with each provider’s Chief Executive Officers to hold them personally to account for their performance.