Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including fixed estate charges and charges levied as covenants on residents’ leases in reforms affecting leaseholders’ ground rents and service charges.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 18 December 2025 (HCWS1210).
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the funding model for the maintenance of the legacy assets of the Olympic and Paralympic Games paid for by a Fixed Estate Charges levied on residents in the vicinity of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This is ultimately a matter for the Greater London Authority. At the request of the Mayor a review of the Fixed Estate Charge was undertaken by the Deputy Mayor of Planning, Regeneration and Skills, and published in February 2023. The review and the London Legacy Development Corporation’s response are both available online.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor payment outcomes for Employment Tribunal awards and (b) ensure that workers using the employment tribunal penalty enforcement scheme receive their award.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are working across government to make the dispute resolution system more resilient. This includes improving our understanding of enforcement outcomes and strengthening the system so that claimants can recover what they are owed. Along with the Ministry of Justice we have set up the Dispute Resolution Task Force to help inform our work. The next Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications will further help us understand award compliance better when published later this year.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of permitting dogs to travel in the cabins of aircraft arriving in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All pets travelling into Great Britain are checked for compliance with the necessary health and documentary requirements prior to entry to safeguard our biosecurity. When travelling to Great Britain by air, pets currently travel as manifest cargo to facilitate these checks upon arrival. The only animals that are authorised to travel in the cabin of a commercial aircraft into Great Britain are Recognised Assistance Dogs.
This Government has no current plans to change the process by which pet cats, dogs and ferrets may enter Great Britain in aircraft.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that those responsible for human rights violations against Tamils in Sri Lanka are brought to justice.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka needs to be improved. Long-standing grievances and legitimate calls for truth and reconciliation should be addressed properly to ensure justice for all communities and victims' groups, including members of the Tamil community. It is also important that excavations of Chemmani mass graves are carried out in accordance with international legal standards.
We regularly raise these issues with the Sri Lankan government. Most recently, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed human rights during his visit to Sri Lanka in February, with the President, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations and political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka. I also discussed these issues with Sri Lankan Ministers during their visit to the UK last October.
In addition, the UK leads efforts at the UN Human Rights Council with Core Group partners, to ensure that international attention remains on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to uphold its international human rights obligations, protect civic space and make meaningful progress towards an inclusive political settlement that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure that the human rights of Tamil communities in Sri Lanka are upheld, (b) promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, and (c) support efforts towards accountability for human rights abuses committed in the final months of the war in 2009.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka needs to be improved. Long-standing grievances and legitimate calls for truth and reconciliation should be addressed properly to ensure justice for all communities and victims' groups, including members of the Tamil community. It is also important that excavations of Chemmani mass graves are carried out in accordance with international legal standards.
We regularly raise these issues with the Sri Lankan government. Most recently, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed human rights during his visit to Sri Lanka in February, with the President, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations and political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka. I also discussed these issues with Sri Lankan Ministers during their visit to the UK last October.
In addition, the UK leads efforts at the UN Human Rights Council with Core Group partners, to ensure that international attention remains on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to uphold its international human rights obligations, protect civic space and make meaningful progress towards an inclusive political settlement that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that excavations at Sri Lanka’s Chemmani mass graves (a) take place in compliance with international law and standards and with international oversight and (b) are supported by credible accountability mechanisms.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is clear that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka needs to be improved. Long-standing grievances and legitimate calls for truth and reconciliation should be addressed properly to ensure justice for all communities and victims' groups, including members of the Tamil community. It is also important that excavations of Chemmani mass graves are carried out in accordance with international legal standards.
We regularly raise these issues with the Sri Lankan government. Most recently, the Deputy Prime Minister discussed human rights during his visit to Sri Lanka in February, with the President, Foreign Minister, civil society organisations and political leaders in the north of Sri Lanka. I also discussed these issues with Sri Lankan Ministers during their visit to the UK last October.
In addition, the UK leads efforts at the UN Human Rights Council with Core Group partners, to ensure that international attention remains on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to encourage the Sri Lankan government to uphold its international human rights obligations, protect civic space and make meaningful progress towards an inclusive political settlement that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15559, if she will set out what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a stepped repayment structure for Plan 2 student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are determined that the higher education funding system should deliver for students, for our economy, and for universities.
The government keeps the student finance system under continuous review to ensure that it delivers good value for both students and taxpayers.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with Iranian authorities on reports of discrimination against the Baha’i community.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to question 67802 on 6 August 2025.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
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 the potential merits of regulating the advertising of average upload speeds.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the ‘CAP Code’ and ‘BCAP Code’, which set the standards for non-broadcast and broadcast advertising, respectively. These codes include specific rules intended to protect consumers from misleading marketing communications. If advertising includes the omission, exaggeration, or ambiguous presentation of information, it can be considered misleading. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has also set guidance about how companies advertise broadband speeds. The ASA recommends that companies show the average speed that at least 50% of their customers receive at the network’s busiest time (8-10pm) to not be considered misleading.
If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory backstop.