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 recent discussions he has had with NHS Pensions on the increase in the length of processing time when pensioners are able to start receiving their award.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department regularly meets with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which administers the NHS Pension Scheme, to discuss performance levels in the scheme. These talks include the current increase in processing times for first pension payments.
To address the delays, the NHSBSA is re-allocating resources, recruiting and training new staff, and updating communications to members and employers to allow them to plan accordingly. The Department is supporting the NHSBSA to take all steps necessary to recover performance so that applications can be processed within the 30-day target.
The NHSBSA is committed to providing the best service possible to retiring and retired National Health Service staff, and will keep members updated.
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 estimate he has made of the total staff remuneration paid through NHS Professionals Bank staff contracts in the last 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Bank staffing allows the National Health Service to meet workforce demand fluctuations without the need to increase capacity above that which is required on a sustained basis. NHS Professionals pay bank members in accordance with rates set by its NHS clients. The total staff remuneration paid through NHS Professionals’ bank staff contracts for 2024/25, the year ending March 2025, was approximately £1.1 billion.
This information is publicly available as part of NHS Professionals’ Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31 March 2025, at the following link:
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06704614/filing-history
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.