Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of linking differential fees to teaching standards on higher education institutions with higher than average rate of admission to students from the most financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Maximum fee limits for all higher education (HE) providers will increase from £9,535 to £9,790 in the 2026/27 academic year, and from £9,790 to £10,050 in the 2027/28 academic year. We will then legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.
In return for the increased investment that we are asking students to make, we expect the HE sector to deliver the very best outcomes both for those students and for the country. To achieve this, we will link future inflationary fee uplifts to judgements on HE providers’ quality and restrict fee income where high quality cannot be demonstrated.
The Office for Students (OfS) will consider a wide range of metrics when determining quality judgements. All HE providers registered with the OfS that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS.
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, what steps her Department is taking to support sustainable farming initiatives.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery. Overall, farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration. This includes increasing spend on nature-friendly farming including Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes to £2 billion by 28/29.
Defra will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through ELM.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of differential university tuition fees based on the Teaching Excellence Framework on further education access for students from the most financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Maximum fee limits for all higher education (HE) providers will increase from £9,535 to £9,790 in the 2026/27 academic year, and from £9,790 to £10,050 in the 2027/28 academic year. We will then legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.
In return for the increased investment that we are asking students to make, we expect the HE sector to deliver the very best outcomes both for those students and for the country. To achieve this, we will link future inflationary fee uplifts to judgements on HE providers’ quality and restrict fee income where high quality cannot be demonstrated.
The Office for Students (OfS) will consider a wide range of metrics when determining quality judgements. All HE providers registered with the OfS that intend to charge higher level tuition fees must have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS.
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 plans to hold a consultation on the Circular Economy Growth Plan.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government remains committed to transitioning towards a circular economy and driving economic growth. This is why, in the new year, we will publish our Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how Government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Growth Plan will reflect the extensive engagement led by the Circular Economy Taskforce with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders. We will continue to engage stakeholders, including through consultation where appropriate, on the interventions set out in the Growth Plan after publication.
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, what steps his Department is taking to reduce wait times for adult gender services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that waiting times for these services are far too long and we are determined to change that. NHS England has increased the number of adult gender services in England from seven to 12, with the rollout of five new adult gender pilot clinics since July 2020. The rollout of these clinics is helping to tackle long waiting times.
NHS England is currently carrying out a review of adult gender services, with the aim of producing an updated service specification. The review, which is chaired by Dr David Levy, will examine the model of care and operating procedures of each service, and will carefully consider experiences, feedback, and outcomes from clinicians and patients.
To support those facing long waits, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced, on 15 September, that the Department will tender for a new pilot. This will provide those on waiting lists for adult gender services in the South West region of England with access to support and information before appointments, including digital mental health support and community-based services. A national rollout will be subject to the outcome of the pilot.
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 support mass atrocity prevention in Sudan.
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 30 October 2025.
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 she is taking to ensure (a) atrocity prevention capabilities and (b) civilian protection expertise are used during the UK’s response to events in El Fasher, Darfur.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October.
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, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan will help tackle inequalities in the commissioning of hospice services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that there are inequalities in access to palliative care and end of life care and we are looking at how best to reduce these. The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
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 provide additional support for an urgent scale-up of cholera response in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The conflict in Sudan and the widespread destruction of sanitation and health services has caused a devastating cholera outbreak with more than 100,000 cases and 2,500 deaths since July 2024. More than 33.5 million people are at risk across all 18 states. The UK Government continues to work with a range of international partners to deliver lifesaving emergency health interventions, including cholera vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Additionally, through a 'match funding' arrangement we have recently partnered with the State of Kuwait to deliver an additional £3.75 million to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), supplementing UK resources already allocated to combat the outbreak. We continue to urge the warring parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian access so that aid reaches those most in need.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that young people are able to develop creative skills.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government published its Industrial Strategy and eight Sector Plans, including for the creative industries, on 23 June.
Skills are central to the strategy, recognising their vital role in enabling young people to succeed regardless of background and in supporting the UK’s future economic success.
Skills England will ensure the UK has the workforce to support growth sectors such as the creative industries by identifying and addressing current and future skills needs.
New shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships will help more people learn new skills at work and provide high-quality entry pathways for young people.
From April 2026, short courses in areas such as digital and artificial intelligence (AI) will be funded through the growth and skills levy and will support skills within the creative industries.
The government believes creative subjects are important elements of the rounded, enriching education every child deserves. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is seeking a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, including creative subjects and skills, with the final report due autumn.
We are launching a National Centre for Arts and Music Education in 2026 to support excellent teacher training in the arts and boost partnerships between schools and arts organisations.