Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the indicative total contract value for the Future High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme contract has reduced from £150 million in April 2025 to £89 million in September 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme has played a vital part in boosting teaching quality across the country. The current contract is coming to an end and, as with any government contract of this scale, it will be retendered in line with the usual fair, open and transparent process.
The programme is being adapted to return it to its original purpose - attracting a limited number of the very best trainee teachers to work in disadvantaged areas of the country.
The department is also growing other popular routes into teaching, building on the progress we have already made towards recruiting an additional 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges over the course of this parliament.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the number of cohorts has been reduced in the Future High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme contract.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The High Potential Initial Teacher Training Programme has played a vital part in boosting teaching quality across the country. The current contract is coming to an end and, as with any government contract of this scale, it will be retendered in line with the usual fair, open and transparent process.
The programme is being adapted to return it to its original purpose - attracting a limited number of the very best trainee teachers to work in disadvantaged areas of the country.
The department is also growing other popular routes into teaching, building on the progress we have already made towards recruiting an additional 6,500 teachers across secondary and special schools, and our colleges over the course of this parliament.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when CityFibre will install fibre to in-scope postcodes in East Hampshire constituency; and whether this has been delayed.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, CityFibre is delivering a contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to thousands of premises across Hampshire. The contract is designed to be delivered in stages and premises in the East Hampshire constituency were initially scheduled to be reached in its latter stages, which is currently due to run until 2030.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) continues to work closely with CityFibre to review the scope of the contract in consideration of suppliers’ latest commercial rollout plans and may agree changes to CityFibre’s delivery should this be required. BDUK and CityFibre will keep local communities informed of the rollout plans during each stage of contract.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 66144 on Mental Health: Children and Young People, in designing future waves of the Mental Health: Children and Young People statistics collection, if he will take steps with international counterparts in selected other countries to include a selection of questions which could be comparable internationally.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have no plans to do so at present. Any changes to the questions to be included in any future Mental Health of Children and Young People in England surveys will be considered as part of the design process. Plans for future surveys will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which postcodes are in scope in the Hampshire CityFibre contract in East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, CityFibre is delivering a contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to thousands of rural and hard-to-reach premises across Hampshire. In the East Hampshire constituency, approximately 5,100 premises are currently included in this contract.
Information on premises in the Hon. Member’s constituency included in the contract's initial scope can be found in the attached spreadsheet. This data is based on the January 2025 Open Market Review (OMR) process.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the ratio of community hospital beds to acute hospital beds is in (a) England (b) Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and (c) the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust area.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on both general and acute beds and intermediate beds at a national and regional level is published monthly on the NHS England website.
Data on general and acute beds is available at the following link:
Data on intermediate care beds is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/intermediate-care/
Trust-level data is not published for intermediate care beds.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what is the proposed timetable for the Post Implementation Review of the Online Safety Act.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State is required under section 178 of the Online Safety Act to review the regulatory framework between two and five years after the last of the provisions of Part 3 come into force. Part 3 of the Act includes key duties for regulated services, including the additional duties for categorised services which are not yet in force. These timelines ensure the review takes place once the regime is fully operational and its impact can be properly assessed. Additional monitoring and evaluation work is already underway to ensure we have robust evidence on the Act’s effectiveness and impact.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what are the key differences between the National Security Online Information Team and its predecessor, the Counter-Disinformation Unit.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Counter Disinformation Unit became the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) in October 2023. The name more accurately reflects the team’s revised remit and function, which is to identify and understand information threats to UK audiences, focusing on those which present a public safety or national security risk.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department issues guidance on a target ratio of step-down beds to acute beds in an acute hospital’s catchment area.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neither the Department nor NHS England have issued specific guidance on a national fixed target ratio for step-down beds to acute beds. The number of step-down beds should be determined by local population needs and patient flow assessments.
Since 2024, NHS England supports this local determination by making available data on the use and occupancy of community beds, which may provide step-down or step-up care, available to systems and service providers.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in each Integrated Care Board area, (a) what the resident population is and (b) how many full-time equivalent clinical staff are employed in (i) community hospital in-patient care and (ii) home-based care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Office for National Statistics publishes population estimates for health geographies, including integrated care board. The data is available at the following link:
The Department does not hold information on the number of clinical staff in community hospital in-patient care and home-based care. Staff are employed by National Health Service trusts and may be employed across a more than one type of setting over the course of their work.