Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure Dr Rahmeh Aladwan is struck-off the medical register; and whether she has contacted the General Medical Council about Dr Rahmeh Aladwan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While it would not be appropriate to comment on any specific individuals, we commissioned Lord Mann’s review to root out the cancer of antisemitism and other forms of racism from our health service, and as well as implementing the recommendations from Lord Mann’s review that are for the Department and the National Health Service, we expect the General Medical Council to take the strongest possible action where the evidence demands it in relevant fitness to practise cases. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims (a) have been contacted to inform them that their perpetrator will be released from prison early in the first ten tranches of the early release scheme following the new offence exclusions; and (b) were previously contacted to inform them that their perpetrator could be released from prison early as part of the early release scheme but have since been contacted to advise that they will not be following the new offence exclusions.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Sentencing Act 2026 contains provisions which change the proportion of a standard determinate sentence which must be served in prison before the offender serving such a sentence is released automatically on licence (“the progression model”). Eligible victims who have opted into the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, where the offender is serving a standard determinate sentence, were informed of the commencement of the legislation. They have subsequently been updated on whether the release date for the offender in their case has changed or remained the same.
According to information held on the Probation Service Victim Case Management System, as of 13 October 2026, 8,283 letters had been issued to victims engaged with the Victim Contact Scheme to inform them of either a change in the release date of an offender in their case or to confirm there had been no change to a release date.
9,737 letters were issued to victims engaged with the Victim Contact Scheme to inform them of the legislative changes to prisoner release arrangements under the Sentencing Act 2026. This figure should not be interpreted as the number of offenders affected by the changes as not all eligible victims choose to participate in the Victim Contact Scheme, and some offenders have multiple victims linked to their case. The remaining letters updating victims to the outcome of sentence recalculations are scheduled to be sent out by Friday 16 October. Any discrepancy between the original number of letters sent out and the follow up letters can be put down to victims no longer engaging and the change to the implementation date where some offenders were released at their original dates in September. Figures are also subject to amendment following a full data check has taken place once all letters have been sent.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to ensure that UK military aid is delivered rapidly and without restrictive conditions that limit Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and deter future attacks.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK MOD has streamlined rapid procurement processes and expanded teams to procure and deliver military equipment at pace to meet Ukraine's urgent operational needs.
The UK has been recognised for its expertise in this area by international partners and administers the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), which uses rapid procurement processes to deliver critical capabilities to Ukraine.
We have provided Ukraine with military aid on the understanding that it will be used in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We liaise on a daily basis with the Ukrainian Government, and they are clear that equipment provided by the UK is intended for the defence of Ukraine.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide a breakdown of costs incurred by the HMPPS Disparities Unit in each of the last three years, including (a) staff numbers and (b) staff salaries.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The HMPPS Disparities Unit employed an average of 20 full-time-equivalent staff during the year to 31 March 2026. Total costs for the Unit including salaries, employer pension contributions, employer National Insurance contributions and other costs were £1.7 million.
As this area of work underwent changes in scope and structure during the specified period, comparable figures for earlier years are not available.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Victim Support: Offender Release Helpline, if he will publish (a) the total cost of establishing it, (b) the number of staff employed to operate it, (c) the annual salary band of each of the staff employed to operate it, (d) the cost incurred to operate it to date, (e) the expected annual cost of operating it, and (f) how many victims have contacted the helpline to date.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that victims and others affected by offender release can access timely information, support and guidance when they need it. That is why the Ministry of Justice has commissioned Victim Support to deliver the Victim Support: Offender Release Helpline, a dedicated telephone and live chat service available across England and Wales.
The helpline provides a single point of contact for individuals affected by, or concerned they may be affected by, offender release. Specialist advisers can provide emotional support, practical guidance, safety planning, signposting and referrals to other services where appropriate. The service is also available to family members, carers, supporters, witnesses and professionals seeking information about available support.
Funding for the helpline forms part of the Government's wider £18.9 million package of support for victims affected by the Progression Model. Of this, £1.56 million has been allocated to the national helpline. The Helpline is delivered through a grant agreement with Victim Support and launched on 1 October 26. A final assured figure for expenditure to date is not yet available.
The grant is designed to provide Victim Support with the capacity and flexibility to deliver on specified outcomes and meet demand, rather than specifying the number of posts, salary bands or volume of calls. Management information relating to the delivery of the grant will be monitored by the Ministry of Justice throughout the lifetime of the agreement.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which 48 frontline organisations will receive funding from the Legal Support Grant.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice appointed the Access to Justice Foundation to administer the new Legal Support Grant programme on its behalf. A full list of the 48 funded organisations can be accessed on their website – https://atjf.org.uk/grants/what-were-funding. This includes a diverse range of organisations including Citizens Advice services, Law Centres and community-based organisations.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cells, rooms or dormitories in the prison estate have a Certified Normal Accommodation of (a) one and a maximum capacity of one, (b) one and a maximum capacity of two, (c) two and a maximum capacity of two, (d) two and a maximum capacity of three, (e) three and a maximum capacity of three, or (f) three and a maximum capacity of four, broken down by establishment.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMPPS does not centrally record the reasons why a prison's in-use Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) is lower than its baseline CNA, nor does it centrally hold information on when individual CNA places were taken out of use or are expected to return to use. This information will be held locally by individual prisons but collating it manually across the estate would incur disproportionate cost.
HMPPS does centrally record reasons for any changes to Operational Capacity, which is the total number of prisoners that a prison can hold, taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. These data are not directly equivalent to places excluded from in-use CNA, but provide the closest centrally held measure. Information on Operational Capacity places out of use by establishment and reason is set out in the first attached table.
Please see attached data tables.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison places included in baseline Certified Normal Accommodation but excluded from in-use Certified Normal Accommodation, broken down by establishment and, where recorded, by section or wing thereof; with the recorded reason, date taken out of use, and expected date of return to use provided for each set of places for which these data are separately available.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMPPS does not centrally record the reasons why a prison's in-use Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) is lower than its baseline CNA, nor does it centrally hold information on when individual CNA places were taken out of use or are expected to return to use. This information will be held locally by individual prisons but collating it manually across the estate would incur disproportionate cost.
HMPPS does centrally record reasons for any changes to Operational Capacity, which is the total number of prisoners that a prison can hold, taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. These data are not directly equivalent to places excluded from in-use CNA, but provide the closest centrally held measure. Information on Operational Capacity places out of use by establishment and reason is set out in the first attached table.
Please see attached data tables.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for each different surname held by at least one prisoner, how many individual prisoners hold that surname across the prison estate, and likewise for each different first name.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
To provide accurate data in response to this request, it would be necessary to undertake an extensive verification exercise, which could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims have (a) been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will be released from prison early as a result of the Sentencing Act 2026, and (b) been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will not be released from prison early as a result of the changes made to the Sentencing Act 2026.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Sentencing Act 2026 contains provisions which change the proportion of a standard determinate sentence which must be served in prison before the offender serving such a sentence is released automatically on licence (“the progression model”). Eligible victims who have opted into the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, where the offender is serving a standard determinate sentence, have been informed of the commencement of the legislation.
According to information held on the Probation Service Victim Case Management System, as of 9 July 2026, 8,711 letters had been issued to victims engaged with the Victim Contact Scheme to inform them of the legislative changes to prisoner release arrangements under the Sentencing Act 2026. This figure should not be interpreted as the number of offenders affected by the changes. Not all offenders will necessarily receive an earlier release date, not all eligible victims choose to participate in the Victim Contact Scheme, and some offenders have multiple victims linked to their case.
On 30 August 2026, the Prime Minister announced further exclusions from the progression model. In addition to rape and certain child sexual offences previously announced, these exclusions included all forms of manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, causing or allowing the death of a child and indecent assault offences.
As a result of these changes, sentence calculations are being reviewed and, where necessary, recalculated. It is therefore not currently possible to provide the number of victims who have been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will be released from prison early as a result of the Sentencing Act 2026, or who have been contacted to confirm that their perpetrator will not be released from prison early as a result of the changes made to the Sentencing Act 2026.