To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to give a detailed description of how procurement of the contract for the Federated Data Platform (FDP), after the current contract ending date of 15/02/2027, will proceed, including timeline, whet
Department of Health and Social Care
The current contract for the NHS Federated Data Platform is for seven years, ending in 2030, with break clauses at three years, two years, and one year. No decisions have been made about any procurement after then end of the contract. The contact is publi...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment perio
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department recognises that receiving two sets of earnings from the same employer within a single Universal Credit assessment period can create unexpected fluctuations in a claimant’s award. This situation typically occurs when a claimant’s monthly pay...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many religious chaplaincies have permitted the Islamic Human Rights Commission to send religious materials to prisons in England and Wales.
Ministry of Justice
Decisions on whether any external materials may be provided are taken by individual establishments. They are subject to governor approval, national policy on faith and pastoral care, security requirements, and extremism safeguards. All proposed materials ...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many weapons have been confiscated by prison officers since 5 July 2024, broken down by individual prison.
Ministry of Justice
As data on the distinct number of weapons confiscated is not held centrally, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Statistics on the number of incidents of weapon finds in prison, which could include multiple weapons pe...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) chaplains, (b) rabbis, (c) imams, (d) other religious ministers have been attached to each prison in England and Wales in each year since 2010.
Ministry of Justice
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) recognises that faith and belief can support rehabilitation and may act as a protective factor in reducing re-offending.The statutory duties of prison chaplains are set out in the Prison Act 1952 and refl...
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Ministry of Justice
His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has a unique opportunity, across prisons, probation and the Youth Custody Service, to help people turn their lives around. To do this successfully, it is important to ensure that the best conditions are...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list the organisations authorised to send religious and welfare packs to prisons in England and Wales for (a) Ramadan and (b) Eid.
Ministry of Justice
Decisions on whether any external materials may be provided are taken by individual establishments. They are subject to governor approval, national policy on faith and pastoral care, security requirements, and extremism safeguards. All proposed materials ...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many stab vests have been issued to prison officers since 5 July 2024, broken down by individual prison.
Ministry of Justice
Following a serious incident at HMP Frankland in April 2025, the Department acted quickly to review the use of protective body armour (PBA) across the estate. As a result, we have introduced a significant expansion in provision, with PBA now mandated for ...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the International Student Levy on the UK’s ability to attract international postgraduate research students and the consequential impact this would have on
Department for Education
Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and are responsible for managing their own finances, including any impact from the International Student Levy (ISL). To support providers’ financial planning, the levy will be introduced in 2...
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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the designation of countries where homosexuality is prosecuted as ‘safe countries’ in relation to asylum claims is compatible with their commitment to human rights.
Home Office
The designation of countries under Section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 does not preclude protection for those at real risk of harm. The presumption of safety is rebuttable, in other words, claims are not automatically certified ...
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Ministry of Justice
Effective prison security is a prerequisite for the safe and stable regimes required to promote prisoner rehabilitation, and sufficient levels of skilled frontline staff are fundamental to delivering secure and rehabilitative prison regimes. Against a cha...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the estimated capital cost for a new prison place in England and Wales, broken down into categories A, B, C and D.
Ministry of Justice
As set out in the 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we are committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. Our build programme consists of the construction of four new prisons, including HMP Millsike, as well as the ex...
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To ask His Majesty's Government how many people serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence have died of natural causes while in prison since 2023.
Ministry of Justice
Please see the number of people serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence who have died of natural causes while in prison since 2023 in the table below. Please note that these figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody databa...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on plans for the redevelopment of the former Camp Hill prison site on the Isle of Wight, including its sports facilities.
Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice is currently evaluating all potential options for the site and is maintaining engagement with the local authority to explore appropriate future uses for both the site and the sports pitch once it is designated as surplus to operati...
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To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners (1) applied for, and (2) were granted, early release on compassionate grounds in each of the past five years.
Ministry of Justice
The Secretary of State has a statutory power to grant the early release of prisoners serving a sentence or term of imprisonment in custody on compassionate grounds. The power is used in exceptional circumstances only and in accordance with the HMPPS Early...
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To ask His Majesty's Government whether a three-month prognosis is required for a prisoner to be considered for early release on compassionate grounds.
Ministry of Justice
The Secretary of State has a statutory power to grant the early release of prisoners serving a sentence or term of imprisonment in custody on compassionate grounds. The power is used in exceptional circumstances only and in accordance with the HMPPS Early...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the international student levy on university incomes.
Department for Education
The International Student Levy will require higher education (HE) providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year. An impact analysis of the levy published in November 2025 estimated the income losses to the HE sector from the levy ...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the levels of the risk of insolvency among universities in England.
Department for Education
We are aware that some higher education (HE) providers are making difficult decisions about course consolidation and closures. As autonomous institutions, HE providers are responsible for managing their own finances. It is therefore right that they focus ...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the number of course closures announced in higher education over the past year.
Department for Education
We are aware that some higher education (HE) providers are making difficult decisions about course consolidation and closures. As autonomous institutions, HE providers are responsible for managing their own finances. It is therefore right that they focus ...
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