Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of RSF violence against civilians in El Fasher and across Darfur; and whether it remains her policy to uphold UK commitments to (a) protect populations from atrocity crimes, (b) prevent mass atrocities and (c) uphold obligations to (i) prevent and (ii) punish genocide.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) officials leading the UK's geographic and atrocity prevention thematic response and (b) diplomatic counterparts on options for protecting civilians in (i) El Fasher, (ii) Tawila, and (iii) across Darfur.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the responses provided in the Urgent Question debate on the Conflict in Sudan on 5 November 2025.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the British Medical Association's press release entitled Medical student poverty worsened by financial drought as student loans fall short over summer, published on 9 August 2025, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social care on the potential impact of extending eligibility to the full entitlement for student finance maintenance on students in receipt of the NHS Bursary during their (a) final undergraduate year and (b) later years of a post-graduate medical degree.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government needs to ensure that the student funding system is financially sustainable, and funding arrangements are reviewed each year. The department will continue to engage with the Department for Health and Social Care to consider the financial support that medical students receive.
The cost of studying medicine is one of the important factors deterring working class students from applying to medicine. The Department for Health and Social Care is exploring options to improve financial support to students from the lowest socio-economic background so they are able to thrive at medical school.
Students attending years 5 and 6 of undergraduate medical courses and years 2 to 4 of graduate entry medical courses qualify for NHS bursaries. The government has increased the NHS Bursary tuition fee contributions, maintenance grants and all allowances for the current academic year, 2025/26, by forecast inflation, 3.1%, based on the RPIX inflation index.
Medical students qualifying for NHS bursaries support also qualify for reduced rate non-means tested loans for living costs from the department. The government has increased reduced rate loans by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, in line with percentage increases to maximum loans for living costs in non-bursary years.
To help students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds progress and excel in higher education, the government will introduce targeted, means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament. These grants will support students studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and the Industrial Strategy, funded by a levy on income from international student fees. We will also future proof our maintenance loan offer by increasing loans for living costs in line with forecast inflation every academic year from 2026/27 onwards, and provide extra support for care leavers, who will automatically become eligible to receive the maximum rate of maintenance loan.
We will confirm the percentage increase to loans for living costs for the 2026/27 academic year in-line with updated inflation forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility published alongside the Autumn Budget.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to implement a permanent framework for refugee students to study in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Immigration White Paper published on 12 May announced a review of the UK’s existing refugee resettlement and sponsorship schemes. This will ensure that there is a framework which allows businesses, universities and communities to sponsor refugees to live, work and study in the UK. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support coach drivers required to travel for work to the Schengen area for longer than 90 days in any 180 day period.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Schengen 90 days in any 180-day period (“90/180”) immigration rule has applied since 2021 to all UK nationals (including coach drivers) undertaking short stays for leisure and work in the Schengen area. The Schengen 90/180 limit is a fundamental part of the EU’s conditions of entry for third country nationals to its territory. As such it is not UK Government policy.
The Department wrote to all holders of public service vehicle operator licences for national and international operations on 31 July 2025 to remind them about the implementation of the EU’s Entry / Exit System (EES). The letter advised UK operators to review the schedules of UK national drivers travelling regularly into the Schengen area to ensure compliance with the 90/180 Schengen limit, brief staff on the upcoming EES system, and monitor updates from the Government regarding EES.
The Government will continue to listen to concerns raised by sectors affected by these rules and will advocate for British citizens abroad.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to (a) the levy on higher education provider income from international students proposed in her Department's white paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published in May 2025, CP 1326 and (b) bullet 32 in in her Department's publication entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, Technical Annex, published in May 2025, what assessment she has made of potential price elasticities for non-EU students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has engaged with the Home Office regarding the international student levy, including on its design and impacts. We will set out further details on the levy at the Autumn Budget.
The Immigration White Paper included an illustrative example that a 6% levy could reduce student inflows by up to 7,000 per year. We expect the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. Our world-class higher education (HE) sector can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.
In recognition of the sector’s challenging financial environment, we have increased tuition fee limits in this academic year and refocused the Office for Students to monitor the sector’s financial health.
We have published our new plan for HE reform through the Post-16 education and skills white paper, which sets out our ambition for a world leading and financially sustainable HE sector.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to (a) the international student fee levy proposed in the Restoring Control over the Immigration System and (b) paragraph 32 of the Restoring Control over the Immigration System Technical Annex, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on price elasticities in relation to non-EU students; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed international student fee levy on (a) international student numbers in UK universities and (b) financial sustainability in the sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has engaged with the Home Office regarding the international student levy, including on its design and impacts. We will set out further details on the levy at the Autumn Budget.
The Immigration White Paper included an illustrative example that a 6% levy could reduce student inflows by up to 7,000 per year. We expect the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. Our world-class higher education (HE) sector can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.
In recognition of the sector’s challenging financial environment, we have increased tuition fee limits in this academic year and refocused the Office for Students to monitor the sector’s financial health.
We have published our new plan for HE reform through the Post-16 education and skills white paper, which sets out our ambition for a world leading and financially sustainable HE sector.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) UK Research and Innovation and (b) the National Institute for Health and Care Research to prioritise further research into early diagnosis of (i) pancreatic cancer and (ii) other less survivable cancers.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Government responsibility for funding cancer research is shared between UK Research and Innovation, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and including the Medical Research Council, and the NIHR. Research funders work closely to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives.
NIHR investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. An example of this is the NIHR investing £2.4 million into the miONCO-Dx trial, which seeks to develop a blood test designed to detect 12 different cancers, that could transform how cancer is diagnosed in the National Health Service.
The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including all cancers. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on all cancers to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the NHS will improve diagnosis and outcomes for cancer patients in England.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 74808 on Universities: Research, if HM Treasury will carry out further analysis of productivity and economic growth gains.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HM Treasury regularly analyses the economic impacts of policy, including research funding for universities. For example, recent spending review decisions were underpinned by a range of evidence and analysis provided by government departments and external stakeholders.Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the use of the Transparent Approach to Costing methodology by the higher education sector.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The data collected using the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) methodology is an important part of the evidence base, which the department uses to understand the financial sustainability of the higher education sector and the teaching of UK students who are publicly funded.
The TRAC sector analysis, published annually by the Office for Students, was most recently used to support the strategic case for uplifting tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year. This was set out in the regulatory impact assessment, published in January 2025 and accessible at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/40/pdfs/ukia_20250040_en.pdf.
The department continues to consider the interaction between TRAC and policy decisions in our policy development.