Damian Hinds MP: written questions
547 published records · newest first.
Written questions
BusesDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48882More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on trends in the level of usage of coach transport (a) over time and (b) by sector.
Answer: The National Travel Survey asks individuals how frequently they use different modes of transport. Reported frequency of use of coach travel is as follows:Frequency of use of coach or express bus: England, 2003 onwards Less than once a year or neverO...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: SchoolsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48881More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2024 to Question 17083 on Mental Health Services: Schools, whether planned aspects of provision of access to a specialist mental health professional in every s
Answer: The Government has committed to expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in schools and colleges to reach 100% coverage by 2029/30. As the programme matures, the Department of Health and Social Care will work with the Department for Education to cons...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAssessmentsDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48395More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her Department’s policy that public examinations are handwritten other than (a) for candidates with (i) special educational needs and (ii) disabilities and (b) for practical skills.
Answer: The majority of GCSE and A level examinations are handwritten in England. The department has been working closely with Ofqual, the independent regulator of qualifications and assessments, to consider the potential benefits and risks of greater use of onsc...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48394More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of undergraduates using generative artificial intelligence for completing assignments.
Answer: Universities are independent and autonomous bodies responsible for decisions including course content and teaching and assessment. As such, they are responsible for designing and implementing their own policies and approaches to the use of artificial inte...
Answered 9 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48393More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of school pupils using generative artificial intelligence for completing homework.
Answer: While no formal assessment has been made of trends in using artificial intelligence (AI) for homework, the department is working to ensure teachers are equipped and supported to promote safe and appropriate use of AI.The National Centre for Computing Educ...
Answered 9 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48392More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with teachers on the use of applications using generative artificial intelligence for (a) lesson-planning and (b) resource-generating.
Answer: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, ministers and departmental officials engage extensively with teachers, leaders, support staff and experts to both respond to the implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other ...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPupils: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48391More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to (a) school leaders and (b) teachers on how to counter inappropriate use of Generative AI by pupils.
Answer: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) presents a number of risks which need to be managed carefully. The department is developing online training resources and guidance materials for teachers and leaders. The resources will help with the risks and oppor...
Answered 9 May 2025
Original Parliament recordTeachers: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48390More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the level of use by teachers of generative artificial intelligence to support lesson-planning and resource-creation or tailoring.
Answer: The department launched a call for evidence on generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education, which sought views and experiences from practitioners, the Edtech sector and AI experts on the use of generative AI in education, including to support les...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPower FailuresDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48095More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 31842 on Power Failures, what geographical segmentation data on power outage (a) incidence and (b) duration are available.
Answer: There is no geographical information available to be published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on power outage incidence and duration. However, Ofgem publishes data annually on the number of customer interruptions and the customer minut...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School Meals: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48094More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 22 April 2025 to Questions 41031, 41032, 41033 and 41034, on Free School Meals: Primary Education, whether her Department’s modelling for the breakfast club early adopter scheme assum
Answer: The department is funding 750 early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes. Schools will receive a combination of set-up, fixed-term and per-pupil payments to cover staffing, delivery and food. Fu...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School Meals: Primary EducationDepartment for EducationTabled 25 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 22 April 2025 to Questions 41031, 41032, 41033 and 41034 on Free School Meals: Primary Education, what estimate has she made of the average amount of funding from her Department for e
Answer: The department is funding 750 early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes. Schools will receive a combination of set-up, fixed-term and per-pupil payments to cover staffing, delivery and food. Fu...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisons: OvercrowdingMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43038 on Prisons: Overcrowding, how many and what proportion of the Operation Safeguard police cells made available overnight were used.
Answer: Operation Safeguard is an important contingency measure used to ensure that the current demand on prison places does not cause undue disruption to Criminal Justice System partners. The first places were activated by the previous Government in February 202...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrison AccommodationMinistry of JusticeTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45573More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 9 April 2025 to Questions 43036 on Prison Accommodation: Closures and 43032 and 43033 on Prison Accommodation, what the gross addition to prison estate capacity was from (a) new-build p
Answer: The previous Labour Government added nearly 28,000 places to the prison estate between 1997 and 2010. However, available records do not provide a breakdown for these figures of these places by category. For the gross additions to prison estate capacity re...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Media: ChildrenDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44951More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Information Commissioner’s Office and (b) Ofcom in assessing how regulated services are enforcing their minimum age limits to
Answer: In 2024, the ICO updated its Age assurance opinion for the Children’s code, with guidance on what online services must do if they are likely to be accessed by children. We welcome the ICO’s ongoing work to assess how services are applying age assurance me...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: UniformsDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44950More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, whether there will be a de minimis value below which a required uniform item would not count towards the limits for branded items of school uniform.
Answer: There will not be a de minimis value below which a required uniform item would not count towards the limit for branded items of school uniform. The department wants to ensure that the action we are taking to reduce the cost of uniform provides schools and...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: UniformsDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44949More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans for the rules on school uniform contained in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to be adjustable by secondary legislation.
Answer: For too many families, the cost of uniform remains a financial burden. This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, to bring down costs for parents and remove b...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFree Schools: ReviewsDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44948More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Written Statement of 22 October 2024 on Mainstream Free Schools, HCWS150, what progress her Department has made on the review of planned mainstream free schools.
Answer: The review that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced in October 2024 will put a stop to the over-supply of unnecessary places and channel funding towards improving the deteriorating condition of existing schools and college...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEducational Visits: CostsDepartment for EducationTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44947More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact on participation of the change in the average cost of domestic school trips since 2019; and if she will make an assessment of the trends in the levels of the contrib
Answer: The department is providing schools with an additional £3.2 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, taking total core school budgets to over £64.8 billion. Schools have autonomy over how they use this funding to best support their pupils based on their ind...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity OrdersMinistry of JusticeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44438More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to establish further Intensive Supervision Courts.
Answer: This Government is committed to expanding the use of robust community alternatives to custody, keeping offenders in the community and offering the right package of support to rehabilitate offenders and stop the revolving door of the justice system. The In...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity OrdersMinistry of JusticeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Intensive Supervision Courts.
Answer: An interim process evaluation report, published in January 2025, indicates promising results on the effectiveness of ISCs: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6785311af029f40e50881712/process-evaluation-intensive-supervision-courts-pilot-interi...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School Meals: Universal CreditDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44436More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to maintain the number of children eligible for free school meals at approximately the same level in the context of the maturity of the universal credit rollout.
Answer: Free school meal support is available to households receiving Universal Credit, and with an annual earned income of £7,400 or less.This government’s ambition is to drive down poverty through our Child Poverty Strategy and cross-government work to support ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44435More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing auto-enrolment for free school meals.
Answer: The free school meals (FSM) scheme provides nutritious school lunches to children who could otherwise not afford them. To support take-up, the department provides an Eligibility Checking System so that eligibility can be checked as quickly and straightfor...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School MealsDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44434More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of children educated otherwise than at school that would be eligible for free school meals and are in receipt of (a) free school meals and (b) vouchers in place of f
Answer: The department expects local authorities to consider free school meal (FSM) provision for children and young people receiving education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) in accordance with Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014. This is set out ...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: FoodDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44433More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she next plans to review her Department's guidance on school food standards.
Answer: It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and the department encourages schools to have a whole-school approach to healthy eating. The School Food Standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, that are restricted and those...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordFree School Meals: CostsDepartment for EducationTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44432More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on the average cost of providing free school meals.
Answer: The department is providing schools and high needs settings with over £930 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with their increased National Insurance contributions (NICs) costs. This support is additional to the £2.3 billion increase to...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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