Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024, in order to reach audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Union Flag has flown every day from a flagpole on the 1 Horse Guards Road side of DCMS’ main site at Government Offices Great George Street throughout 2024 and to date in 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In response to the question raised by Sir John Hayes Conservative South Holland and the Deepings and the ask of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions as to how many days the Union Flag has been flown on her Department’s main sites:

I can confirm in response that the Department’s main sites where a flagpole is in situ and that fly the Union Flag, this is flown continuously unless we are instructed otherwise by DCMS, in line with procedures, to lower:

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Sport England in supporting grassroots sport in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency and £1,924,805 into Lincolnshire to improve access to sport and physical activity.

A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on their place partnerships work, where they work with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers to sport and physical activity in communities. Boston and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire are two of Sport England’s place partnerships.

I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many properties have been procured by (a) her Department and (b) contracted companies to serve as dispersal housing for asylum seekers in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publish detailed information on the location of asylum accommodation sites for safety and security reasons. Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab of our most recent statistics release.

The data can be broken down by local authority rather than by constituency. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to care in the community in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to embedding “Home First” as a principle in adult social care and health policy, ensuring care is delivered in the least restrictive setting. The National Care Service and the Neighbourhood Health Service will play a critical role in helping people stay independent for longer.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and integrate health into the social fabric of places.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs as set out in the Care Act 2014. The funding made available to North Lincolnshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to £12.5 million compared to 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands sold their homes to pay for care costs in the most recent year for which data is available.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold this data.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department has not spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days was the Union Flag flown on the Ministry of Defence Main Building in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Union Flag is flown permanently on the Ministry of Defence Main Building.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science Innovation and Technology has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish a progress report for the antimicrobial resistance action plan following the completion of its first year.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 2024 to 2029 UK National Action Plan (NAP) to confront antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was published on 8 May 2024. It is the second of four five-year NAPs that the Government committed to developing to deliver its 20-year vision that AMR is contained, controlled and mitigated by 2040.

The 2024 to 2029 NAP commits to publishing a short annual report summarising progress made against the NAP. The Government anticipates publishing the first of these reports shortly, which describes activity during the first year of the NAP programme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of benefit claimants have been subject to sanctions in Lincolnshire in the last 12 months.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department regularly publishes monthly Universal Credit sanction rate statistics for Great Britain as part of the benefit sanction statistics. The latest statistics to May 2025 are available in table 2.1 of the latest benefit sanction statistics tables.

Users can use the UC Sanction Rates dataset on Stat-Xplore to produce the same information for lower-level geographical breakdowns. After selecting the required geographies, firstly produce a table containing the monthly statistics for the total number of UC claimants in conditionality regimes where sanctions can be applied, i.e. "searching for work", "planning for work" and "preparing for work", and include those people with unknown conditionality regime too. Then produce a separate table containing the monthly statistics for the number of Universal Credit (UC) claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction using the sanction indicator. Note, the second table should be produced for all people, regardless of conditionality regime.

After retrieving these separate tables from Stat-Xplore, calculate the sanction rate, which is the number of people on UC with a sanction, as a proportion of all people on UC in conditionality regimes where sanctions can be applied, both counted at the same point in time.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if his Department has conducted an analysis of how many websites showing pornographic content have complied with the age verification requirement as set out in the Online Safety Act 2023.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom, the designated Online Safety Regulator under the Online Safety Act 2023, has stated that 6,000 sites allowing pornography and other adult content will start using "highly effective" tools to verify or estimate whether users were over or under the age of 18.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the number of additional electors who will be added to the electoral roll following the franchise being extended to 16 and 17 year olds in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As outlined in the recently published ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government believes that enabling 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in all UK elections will foster early and sustained participation in civic life and enhance engagement in our democratic processes. By delivering this manifesto commitment, we want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote.

In June 2025, the House of Commons Library published constituency-level estimates of the number of 16- and 17-year-olds across the UK, based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from 2022 for Great Britain and 2023 for Northern Ireland. These figures provide indicative estimates of the population and should be treated as approximations rather than precise counts.

The Government recognises the importance of understanding the implications of this policy change. Accordingly, an Impact Assessment will be published alongside forthcoming legislation in due course. Legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of cancer patients in Lincolnshire received treatment within 62 days in the last 12 months.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Published data for the 62-day treatment standard of 85% shows that 64.5% of cancer patients in Lincolnshire received their first treatment within 62 days of referral between July 2024 and June 2025, the most recent 12-month period for which data is available. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Treasury has not made any payments to social media influencers for promotional activity since July 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have been hospitalised needing treatment for dental decay in Lincolnshire in each of the last three years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) publishes annual official statistics on tooth extractions in children aged between zero and 19 years old that take place in a National Health Service hospital setting in England. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for tooth extraction with dental caries, also known as tooth decay, as the primary diagnosis code between 2021/22 and 2023/24, for children aged between zero and 19 years old in the Lincolnshire upper tier local authority:

Source: OHID’s annual statistics on tooth extractions zero to 19 year olds that take place in an NHS hospital setting in England, available at the following link:  
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hospital-based-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds

Notes:

1. Lincolnshire refers to the Lincolnshire upper tier local authority, the Lincolnshire County Council.
2. All sub-national FCE counts are rounded to the nearest five as per NHS Digital’s disclosure controls.
3. Figures show the number of FCEs, not the number of individual children who received these treatments, and therefore one child may have had more than one FCE.
4. A quality note on the data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analysis-of-tooth-extractions-in-hospital-methods-and-data-quality/data-quality-and-disclosure-control-for-hospital-based-tooth-extraction-data

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Union Flag was flown on every available day throughout 2024 and 2025 at 102 Petty France, subject to other designated flag flying days where the Union Flag was not flown. On days where there were excess wind speeds no flags were flown and we did not record the number of occasions this happened.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

At our main London headquarters building the Union Flag is flown every day. The only other main site where there is a flag pole is Spring Place in Southampton. The Red Ensign, and the Coastguard Flag, which have the Union Flag incorporated within it, are flown Monday to Friday every week at this site.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in the welfare system in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Estimates of the levels of fraud and error in the benefit system for the financial year 2024-25 can be found at: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK

We do not provide sub-national estimates of fraud and error as we are unable to break the statistics down to this level.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released through early release schemes in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 are resident in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on releases by constituency. However, we have published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics: Standard Determinate Sentence 40 (SDS40) : September 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No money has been spent by Defra on social media influencers since July 2024.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the National Employment Savings Trust has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Nest is a Public Corporation which operates independently of Government. This includes necessary expenditure surrounding supporting its staff to work from home. However, it has provided the following information:

Nest technology for staff is such that most equipment is used across home and office locations. Therefore, spending on equipment to enable working from home relates to specific items needed to adjust to working in a home environment (e.g. display screens and workstation accessories).

Nest Corporation working from home expenditure:

*Nest accounts, including expenses recognised, are audited by the NAO. However, this information is based on more detailed management information which is not specifically audited.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department has provided to Lincolnshire County Council to support (a) cycling and (b) walking in the last five years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since 2021/22 the Department has provided almost £5 million of funding to Lincolnshire County Council to support cycling and walking. This has been provided through the Active Travel Fund, Capability Fund and from 2025/26 the Consolidated Active Travel Fund.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many potholes have been repaired in South Holland and the Deepings constituency since July 2024.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Local highway authorities must publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance this year.

While data is not required to be provided at a constituency level, Lincolnshire County Council the highway authority responsible for the local road network in this constituency, have estimated that they have filled 72,421 potholes during the financial year of 2024-25. Reports are available on local highway authorities’ websites.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she plans to take to improve bus (a) reliability and (b) frequency in rural parts of Lincolnshire.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to delivering the better, more reliable bus services that passengers deserve throughout the country, including in rural areas. We introduced the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill on 17 December as part of our ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill will put passenger needs, reliable services and local accountability at the heart of the industry by putting the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in rural areas. The Bill includes a measure on socially necessary services so that local authorities and bus operators have to have regard for alternatives to changing or cancelling services.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Lincolnshire County Council was allocated £11.9 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

The government reaffirmed its commitment to investing in bus services long-term in this Spending Review. On 11 June, the government confirmed additional funding per year from 2026/27 to maintain and improve bus services, including taking forward franchising pilots and extending the £3 bus fare cap until March 2027.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of frontline police officers in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is clear that visible policing is essential to restoring public confidence in the police. As a result, our expectation is that officer numbers must be protected. We have put in place funding arrangements for 2025/26 to support the achievement of this aim.

For 2025/26, the Home Office is providing a total of up to £19.6 billion for police forces, which is an increase of up to £1.2 billion compared to the 2024/25 police funding settlement. This includes a total of up to £376.8 million specifically to support officer maintenance at the expected headcount levels in 2025/26, as well as an additional £200 million to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of the Parliament.

Lincolnshire Constabulary will receive up to £174.5 million in funding in 2025/26, an increase of up to £10.3 million when compared to the 2024/25 funding settlement, which represents a 6.2% cash increase and 3.8% real terms increase in funding. This includes a total allocation of £2,911,073 to support the maintenance of 1,186 police officers, as well as a total allocation of £1,663,470 to support neighbourhood policing roles.

The latest official statistics show that at 31 March 2025, Lincolnshire had 1,173 FTE (1,188 in headcount terms) police officers, 93.2% of which were frontline officers (1,028 FTE).

While we expect that police officers will be used in tackling crime and protecting the public, it is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience, including how best to allocate all the resources at their disposal.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to support the (a) maintenance and (b) operation of swimming facilities in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform sports facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG’s headquarters is 2 Marsham Street, London and the Union Flag has been flown every day throughout 2024 and 2025. In addition, our 2^nd headquarters in i9,Wolverhampton also has a flag pole, although we do not maintain records of what flags have been flown when. The Union Flag is flown for the majority of the year and alternative flags are only flown according to official guidance issued by DCMS.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's central communication team has not paid any social media influencers for promotion since July 2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many days the Union Flag was flown on 2 Marsham Street in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government Property Agency manage flag flying at 2 Marsham Street and would be able to provide information on the flying of the Union flag.

The Home Office is only one of several departments in occupation at 2 Marsham Street.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools are taking part in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinder programme, co-led by the department and NHS England, is a test and learn programme trialling new approaches to support earlier identification, intervention and targeted support for children with speech, language and communication needs, helping them thrive in mainstream settings and ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.

Nationally, therapy support teams have reached over 20,000 children and over 3,000 staff members have been upskilled to deliver interventions since the programme began.

The programme is being delivered through nine regional ELSEC pathfinder sites, each comprising a mix of early years and primary school settings. In the East Midlands, Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland are the designated pathfinder local areas and therefore there are no schools within South Holland and The Deepings involved in ELSEC.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has investigated the causes of fires at electrical substations in the last 12 months.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Maintaining the resilience and security of energy infrastructure is a top Government priority. Although rare, substation fires do occur, and we are aware of multiple recent incidents. These are reported to Government when there is a potential or actual impact to customer supplies. We are monitoring these incidents closely, as part of our normal processes for infrastructure incidents.

Due to the impact on Heathrow Airport following the fire at North Hyde Substation, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero commissioned the independent National Energy System Operator (NESO) to review the incident. NESO’s report was published on 2 July 2025 and the Department will respond in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice has spent money on social media influencers and social media content creators since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach. For example, to help us reach potential candidates for prison officer roles as part of our recruitment campaigns.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional driving tests have been provided in Lincolnshire since July 2024.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Between 1 July 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 2164 additional practical driving tests provided at driving test centres in Lincolnshire. This is based on the number of overtime tests provided.

Please note DVSA can currently only publish this data up to the 31 March 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much National Savings and Investments has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

National Savings and Investments (NS&I) is an office-based organisation with a UK presence across London, Lytham, Glasgow and Durham.

The table below shows NS&I’s spending on home working equipment for each of the three previous financial years. NS&I provides this equipment in line with its regulatory duty to minimise the risk of preventable health issues during home working.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what dates the Chagos Contact Group (a) has met and (b) has plans to meet.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Contact Group is part of this government's commitment to increase UK support to Chagossian communities. Its first meeting, which I attended, took place on 2 September 2025. The Contact Group will meet quarterly as part of wider engagement between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Chagossians.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

A full Departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Directorate of Defence Communications as the lead department for communications has not had any spend for promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

There has been no spend on influencer marketing within the time frame specified.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office has not spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Pensions Regulator has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Pensions Regulator spent £16,109 in 2022/23, £7,711 in 2023/24 and £6,056 in 2024/25 on equipment including desktop monitor, keyboard, laptop riser and mouse to enable those of its staff who required it to work from home.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office has not spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 74306 on Ministry of Justice: Social Media, how much his Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024 broken down by influencer.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice uses social media, influencers and online advertising to support the department in delivering its key priorities. These priorities include our recruitment campaigns for prison officers, probation officers and magistrates which help to ensure our front-line services are safely resourced and able to deliver swift access to justice as well as our campaigns that support victims of crime access the support they need. Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service leavers have accessed the Career Transition Partnership in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Registration with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) is mandatory for all Service leavers.

The most recent official statistics provided in Defence Statistics (published February 2025), states that 15,665 Armed Forces Service leavers were eligible for CTP for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Since 1 October 2024 (the start of the current CTP contract and the earliest date at which such data is available) 1362 Service leavers have accessed the CTP through Cottesmore, the resettlement centre that services Lincolnshire.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency in its office locations, and the Agency is responsible for the flying of flags, including when the Union Flag is flown. The Department does not therefore keep a record of this.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have entered the UK illegally using forged (a) passports and (b) visas in the last five years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not hold or commission estimates of the number of individuals who may have entered the UK illegally using forged passports or visas over the last five years.

However, the Home Office does publish statistics on irregular migration, which include data on Inadequately Documented Arrivals (IDAs). IDAs refer to passengers arriving in the UK by air who are either undocumented, travelling with fraudulent documents, or without the correct documentation required for travel or entry.

This data can be found here: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people living with arthritis in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs), including NHS Lincolnshire ICB, which serves the South Holland and the Deepings constituency. The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.

In Lincolnshire, arthritis patients at United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (ULTH) are seen as part of two cohorts, namely early inflammatory arthritis (EIA) or arthritis patients identified during grading of referrals and then put into ULTH’s general rheumatology urgent/routine cohort. For early inflammatory arthritis, ULTH works to a target of six weeks to treatment. This broadly necessitates patients having their first appointment at between two and three weeks. At present, most new patients referred today would be seen in clinic at approximately six to seven weeks and commence treatment within a few further weeks.

Our recently published 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these will help deliver improvements to arthritis care in all parts of England.

More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support people to manage their long-term conditions, including arthritis, closer to home.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government Property Agency (GPA) manages the flying of flags above 1 Horse Guards Road (1HGR), Feethams House and other HM Treasury buildings. Under instructions from Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the Union Flag is always flown unless instructed otherwise by DCMS.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department does not hold a record of when the union flag is flown. Our buildings are managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for flag flying at our main sites.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many days was the Union Flag flown on the main Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office building in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office building on King Charles Street has flown the Union Flag daily throughout 2024 and thus far in 2025.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency in its office locations, and the Agency is responsible for the flying of flags, including when the Union Flag is flown. The Department does not therefore keep a record of this.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.