Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include measures to ensure earlier diagnosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
The National Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year, will build on the shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostics, and treatment in patients’ local areas, backed by the latest technology. We will increase participation in screening programmes through taking innovative approaches like self-sampling for cervical screening and digital booking.
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
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 ensure the Fair Work Agency has the required resource to enforce (a) the minimum wage, (b) protection from harassment and (c) protection from gender discrimination at work for young women.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Fair Work Agency will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights, including the rights of young women.
The specific legislation the Fair Work Agency will be responsible for enforcing is set out in Part 1 of Schedule 7 of the Employment Rights Bill.
The Government is committed to giving the Fair Work Agency the resources it needs to enforce its remit effectively. More detail around funding will be released in due course.
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 she will make it her policy to support bids for (a) the 2029 World Athletic Championships and (b) other major athletics events in London; and if she will hold discussions with the organisers of the UK bid for the 2029 World Athletic Championships.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to delivering international events with pride, building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events.
That is why I am pleased that we confirmed on 19 July that we will support a partnership bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships and World Para Athletic Championships in the UK.
Beyond this, we continue to work closely with our expert arm’s-length body UK Sport to explore all future hosting opportunities that will strengthen the UK’s major events pipeline. The UK has already secured a strong pipeline of events over the coming years, including the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, and UEFA 2028 European Championships, as well as backing a bid for the 2035 Football Women's World Cup.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60276 on Development Aid, when he expects to complete the resource allocation process.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We expect to publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's final 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts on the 21 July.
And over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
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 his Department is taking to improve its capabilities to negotiate humanitarian access to conflict areas.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK uses its diplomatic reach and political influence in support of access negotiations by impartial humanitarian actors.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is finalising an internal humanitarian diplomacy training module focused on access and protection, in partnership with the British Red Cross, to bolster capability across the FCDO. The UK also recently published the Conflict, Hunger and International Humanitarian Law: A Practitioner's Legal Handbook, which sets out rules relevant to addressing conflict-induced hunger, including rules on humanitarian access. This is a free resource, available online and intended to support understanding of these issues at a global level. The FCDO regularly briefs UK Defence Attachés on humanitarian access and protection. The UK is also working with partners and allies to maximise collective impact on humanitarian access and protection in crises. This includes partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who lead access negotiations, and an Australian-led partnership with other states to develop a political declaration to protect humanitarian personnel.
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, with reference to the reduction in Official Development Assistance, whether her Department plans to maintain its full pledge to the 21st replenishment of the International Development Association.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is strongly committed to the International Development Association, and we will prioritise spending our Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget through multilaterals. ODA allocations and the impact on programmes are currently being worked through and we will set out our spending plans following the completion of the resource allocation processes.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 52505 on Sri Lanka: War Crimes, for what reason his Department provided legal representation to the freedom of information tribunal against the application for Major David Walker to be summoned to give evidence.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) takes seriously its statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has complied with all relevant directions issued by the Tribunal. The FCDO accepts the Tribunal's decision of March 2024 not to call Mr Walker as a witness in the case. It would be inappropriate for the FCDO to comment any further on ongoing legal proceedings.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of adopting new digital tools on public sector efficiency.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has assessed the potential impact of adopting digital tools on public sector efficiency through detailed analysis.
This work identified up to £45 billion in potential annual benefits from digital transformation, including through automation of routine tasks, migrating services to lower-cost online channels, and reducing fraud via digital compliance tools.
Government continues to evaluate the effectiveness of these tools, recently publishing a study on Microsoft CoPilot across 20,000 Civil Servants. The Incubator for AI also deploys bespoke tools to unlock mission delivery. For example, the PM recently announced the rollout of Extract, an AI planning tool, to all local authorities in England by Spring next year.
These initiatives will enhance efficiency and reduce duplication, ensuring we can deliver public services which are fit for the future, while also making it easier for people to interact with their government’s digital services.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that accommodation for housing asylum seekers (a) meets adequate minimum standards and (b) protects residents against (i) mistreatment, (ii) exploitation, (iii) sexual abuse and (iv) other abuse.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
All asylum seekers have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services, and they can get information about how to obtain further support.
The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and the standards we expect.
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, with reference to his Department's news story entitled UK Chair statement: Ministerial Roundtable on Sudan, published on 20 February 2025, whether he plans to convene a follow-up meeting.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We do not plan to re-convene another Development Minister meeting in the immediate future. The Foreign Secretary recently hosted the London Sudan Conference in April alongside France, Germany, the Africa Union and EU which brought together senior figures from the international community to discuss the conflict in Sudan. UK Ministers remain engaged on the crisis with the Minister for Development visiting Chad in May which included a focus on Sudan.