Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with phone companies on rates charged to the NHS for sending text messages.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not set or negotiate the rates charged to National Health Service organisations for sending text messages. Telephony and messaging services are procured locally by NHS bodies through established commercial arrangements, including framework agreements. Rates are set by suppliers in accordance with agreed contractual terms and published rate cards, providing a transparent and standardised basis for pricing.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether there are potential racial disparities in Arts Council England's Post Event Assurance withdrawal recommendations; and whether she will request that Arts Council England publish disaggregated data on these outcomes by demographic group and region.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS has not carried out an assessment specifically of any racial disparities in Arts Council England’s (ACE) Post Event Assurance grant-withdrawal recommendations. Arts Council England publishes data on counter-fraud grant withdrawals in its annual report (see p. 108 in its 2025-26 Annual Report https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/arts-council-england-grant-aid-and-lottery-distribution-annual-report-and-accounts-202425 ).
We will raise the possibility of this being published in a more granular breakdown with Arts Council England, but it is likely that due to small numbers of withdrawals (16 in 2024-25), this may not provide meaningful insights, or may prove disclosive.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the implementation of fixed release dates by the Parole Board.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Prisoners serving a determinate sentence are usually released automatically at a point fixed by legislation relating to their sentence. In contrast, indeterminate sentenced prisoners can only be released by the Parole Board after the expiry of their tariff. They must serve a minimum term, in full, in prison, at the end of which they can only be released if the independent Parole Board is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for the offender to be confined. Therefore, introducing release dates fixed by the Parole Board would primarily affect indeterminate sentences.
In accordance with legislation, an indeterminate sentenced prisoner must have a parole review to consider whether the release test is met and if not, to confirm further detention. Reviews take place just prior to tariff expiry and then at least every two years thereafter. The setting of fixed release dates would not be compatible with the need for release to be based on the current risk posed by offenders and whether they could be managed safely if released into the community on licence.
During the passage of the Sentencing Act 2026, the House of Lords voted against an amendment to legislate for the Parole Board to fix a future release date for IPP prisoners.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart regarding the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is concerned about recent restrictions on access to holy sites in Jerusalem. Israel must work with religious communities to facilitate access in line with the status quo, and the right to worship must be protected.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to prevent unapproved filming of children in public places.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government takes children’s safety and privacy very seriously. In most circumstances, filming people, including children, in public places is lawful and reflects rights to freedom of expression. However, these rights are not absolute and must be balanced against the right to privacy, with particular weight given where a child’s interests may be affected. Filming that is indecent or amounts to harassment or stalking is a criminal offence. Where data protection legislation applies, its requirements must be complied with (e.g. processing must be lawful, fair and transparent). The Information Commissioner’s Office enforces this legislation and must have regard to the specific protection afforded to children’s personal data.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to review the 18-month duration period of the Bereavement Support Payment; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) uprating the payment in line with inflation and (b) aligning the payment more closely with child‑related benefits.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) provides support during the acute period following a bereavement. Unlike its predecessor Widowed Parents Allowance, which could be paid for as long as there was entitlement to Child Benefit, BSP is not an income replacement benefit. Where longer term support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs.
The rate of BSP is reviewed on a discretionary basis each year as part of the annual uprating process.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support she is providing to independent election monitoring of the 2027 Nigerian Presidential Election.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are closely monitoring preparations for Nigeria's 2027 presidential elections. Our High Commission in Abuja will, as in previous elections, deploy observation teams across the country, working alongside international partners and Nigerian civil society organisations.
We will continue to engage with the Independent National Electoral Commission and civil society partners to support initiatives that strengthen a credible, transparent and inclusive electoral process.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce knife crime on public transport.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government’s ambition to halve knife crime within a decade is integral to its Safer Streets Mission The Government are working to achieve this by investing in what we know works and will have the greatest impact - focusing relentlessly on where knife crime is most concentrated, with the interventions that work.
My Department is working across government and with partners, including the British Transport Police (BTP), the transport industry and local authorities, to contribute to the knife-crime reduction ambition and help everyone feel and be safe when travelling. The BTP, who are responsible for policing the railway, is a member of the Knife-Enabled Robbery Group which is successfully reducing knife robberies in the areas most affected by knife crime. BTP has played a key role in this work through joint deployments with other forces in knife crime hot spots, such as transport hubs.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of improving levels of public awareness of the potential risk of knife attacks whilst travelling on trains.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department have a range of security measures in place across the railway to keep the travelling public and staff safe. Thankfully, knife attacks on trains are very rare and therefore we do not believe a specific public awareness campaign would be proportionate to the risk- we continue to monitor closely. We do however run our very successful ‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ campaign to encourage all passengers to report any suspicious behaviour.
The British Transport Police (BTP), which is responsible for policing the railway, are a member of the Home Office Knife-Enabled Robbery (KER) Group which is successfully reducing knife robberies in the areas most affected by knife crime. BTP have played a key role in this work through joint deployments with other forces in knife crime hot spots, such as transport hubs.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many letters to her Department relating to the British Council have received a substantive response since 5 July 2024; and what the average response time was.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Minister responsible, I have had a number of meetings with the leadership team within the British Council, details of which are routinely disclosed in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's quarterly publications of ministerial transparency data. My office also deals with a large amount of correspondence relating to the British Council and my other areas of responsibility, all of which we seek to respond to as promptly as possible.