Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's planned timetable is for launching the consultation on repealing the legal duty to aim to permit gambling from the Gambling Act 2005.
Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 11 August 2026, the Department intends to launch a consultation on revoking the ‘Aim to Permit’ shortly. We also plan to publish an outcome from the previous consultation on bingo licensing and Category D gaming machines. Precise timelines will be communicated to stakeholders in due course.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of housing support available to private renters on (a) their ability to secure and remain in employment and (b) levels of food bank use.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) provides the maximum financial support available for renters claiming either Universal Credit or Housing Benefit in the private rented sector.
Employment patterns are driven by wider factors such as local labour market conditions.
Renters who receive housing support and face a shortfall in meeting their rent costs can apply for a Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payment from local authorities in England.
The government has taken steps and invested significantly to support families experiencing hunger and hardship – including but not limited to removing the two-child limit, introducing the Fair Repayment Rate and above inflation increases to Universal Credit, the Crisis and Resilience Fund and reforms to housing and employment rights.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Colombia and international partners regarding proposed changes to the remit of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia; and what role the UK intends to play in supporting continued independent monitoring of peace-agreement implementation.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains a leading international advocate of Colombia's 2016 Peace Agreement. As penholder on Colombia at the UN Security Council, we continue to support the work of the UN Verification Mission and engage regularly with the Government of Colombia and international partners on peace process issues. Since 2016, the UK has committed over £80 million to support implementation of the Agreement, including transitional justice, reintegration and the protection of conflict-affected communities. The UK continues to support transitional justice mechanisms established under the Agreement and emphasises the importance of victims' rights and the independence of these institutions. We remain committed to supporting independent monitoring of implementation through the UN Verification Mission and we support the new international verification mechanism for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) sanctions. We are concerned by continuing violence affecting communities, victims, social leaders and former combatants, and regularly encourage Colombian authorities to strengthen protection measures, improve security guarantees and tackle the root causes of violence.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of security guarantees and protections for communities and victims involved in the implementation of Colombia's Peace Agreement.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains a leading international advocate of Colombia's 2016 Peace Agreement. As penholder on Colombia at the UN Security Council, we continue to support the work of the UN Verification Mission and engage regularly with the Government of Colombia and international partners on peace process issues. Since 2016, the UK has committed over £80 million to support implementation of the Agreement, including transitional justice, reintegration and the protection of conflict-affected communities. The UK continues to support transitional justice mechanisms established under the Agreement and emphasises the importance of victims' rights and the independence of these institutions. We remain committed to supporting independent monitoring of implementation through the UN Verification Mission and we support the new international verification mechanism for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) sanctions. We are concerned by continuing violence affecting communities, victims, social leaders and former combatants, and regularly encourage Colombian authorities to strengthen protection measures, improve security guarantees and tackle the root causes of violence.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of South America on the UK's long-term diplomatic, economic and strategic interests.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government recognises the growing importance of South America to the UK's long-term diplomatic, economic and strategic interests. The region offers significant opportunities for UK growth and economic security, including through trade, investment, critical minerals, clean energy and resilient supply chains. It is also central to tackling shared challenges including serious and organised crime, climate change and biodiversity loss. We are therefore strengthening partnerships across the region while working with partners on trade and investment, critical minerals, climate and nature, regional security and the rules-based international system. Our engagement is focused on areas where the UK can add distinctive value and advance our long-term prosperity, security and global influence.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms relating to Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace and proposed budget allocations on the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement, judicial independence and victims' rights.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains a leading international advocate of Colombia's 2016 Peace Agreement. As penholder on Colombia at the UN Security Council, we continue to support the work of the UN Verification Mission and engage regularly with the Government of Colombia and international partners on peace process issues. Since 2016, the UK has committed over £80 million to support implementation of the Agreement, including transitional justice, reintegration and the protection of conflict-affected communities. The UK continues to support transitional justice mechanisms established under the Agreement and emphasises the importance of victims' rights and the independence of these institutions. We remain committed to supporting independent monitoring of implementation through the UN Verification Mission and we support the new international verification mechanism for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) sanctions. We are concerned by continuing violence affecting communities, victims, social leaders and former combatants, and regularly encourage Colombian authorities to strengthen protection measures, improve security guarantees and tackle the root causes of violence.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the contracted compute and storage capacity under the NHS Federated Data Platform contract has been utilised to date; and if she will list any NHS organisation that (a) has reached and (b) is projected to exceed allocated capacity limits.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Available data on the operation of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is published on the FDP webpages, which can be accessed at the link below:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) licensed and (b) active unique users are registered on the NHS Federated Data Platform; and if she will publish a breakdown of those figures by NHS organisation in each month since contact commencement.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Available data on the operation of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is published on the FDP webpages, which can be accessed at the link below:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) compute-seconds and (b) gigabyte-months of data storage have been consumed on the NHS Federated Data Platform in each month since deployment by (i) NHS organisation and (ii) application or use case type.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Available data on the operation of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is published on the FDP webpages, which can be accessed at the link below:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she intends to publish, before Christmas Recess 2026, the planned public consultation on regulations and guidance required to implement the licensing regime for dockless shared-cycle schemes under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Yes, we do.