Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve access to public transport in rural areas within (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

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

The government knows that Britain needs a modern transport network to help kickstart economic growth. Good local bus services are an essential part of prosperous and sustainable communities. As announced in the King’s Speech, the Government will pass the Better Buses Bill to put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, to ensure networks can meet the needs to the communities who rely on them, including in South Holland and Deepings, Lincolnshire and rural areas right across England.

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. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. Lincolnshire County Council has been allocated £11.8 million.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help support victims of domestic abuse in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government recognises that victims in rural and remote areas face particular barriers to fleeing abuse and accessing support. That is why we continue to fund specialist domestic abuse helplines for victims across England and Wales to enable everyone to access advice and support.

We are already driving forward a range of activities which will support rural victims. The Victims and Prisoners Act will require local commissioners to develop joint needs assessments for victims of domestic abuse to identify and address gaps in support. Furthermore, on 24 October, the Home Secretary announced a package of reforms to improve the police response to victims of VAWG related crimes.

Our new VAWG strategy to be published next year will lay out our plans for any future initiatives and research, including for victims in rural and remote areas.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria her Department plans to use to assess the effectiveness of its policy to tackle smuggling gangs involved in illegally trafficking people into the UK.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government will make further statements in due course regarding the ways in which progress on its key priorities will be assessed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the potential cost to the public purse is for hotels that have opened to provide contingency accommodation for people seeking asylum since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office regularly publishes details of the department’s expenditure on asylum, published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people started T-levels in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in each year since 2020.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department does not currently publish T Level student recruitment data at this level. We have announced that we will start publishing provider level data on T Level students, starting 2023/24 academic year. We are currently finalising plans on our approach to do this and the data will be published in due course. The publication date will be announced as soon as possible in line with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Statistics.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ban the importation of pregnant cats in the last half of their pregnancy.

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

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of cats that are more than 42 days pregnant.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of hours of police time spent each week on investigating non crime hate incidents.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not currently hold force-level data on the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to collect data on the number of applications to stay in the UK that are made on the basis of a sham (a) marriage and (b) civil partnership.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government takes abuse of the spouse and partner immigration routes very seriously. Family migration must be based on a genuine and subsisting marriage or relationship. The Home Office focuses its efforts on disrupting facilitators as well as prosecuting individuals involved in sham marriages and civil partnerships.

The Home Office will also investigate if, at any point, there are reasonable suspicions of a sham relationship, for example following applications for permission to enter or stay, or where there is supporting intelligence or evidence gathered during operations.

The Home Office continues to enhance its reporting capabilities of recorded sham marriage data and is recording the number of sham marriage and civil partnership applications that it detects. However, it is not possible to state how many applications to stay are made on the basis of a sham marriage or civil partnership.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle retail crime in rural communities.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, up 29% on year up to June 2024, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We won’t stand for this.

As part of the Safer Streets Mission, we will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. We will also end the effective immunity granted to shop theft of goods under £200, and provide over £7 million over the next three financial years to support the police tackling retail crime.

These measures will apply to shop workers and retails in urban and rural communities, and this Government is clear that no matter where you live, when you report a crime, it should be properly investigated with victims having faith justice will be delivered, and criminals facing meaningful consequences

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 (a) recruitment and (b) retention of NHS staff in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

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

This information is not collected centrally. National Health Service organisations are responsible for their own recruitment and develop their own workforce plans based on service needs. At a national level, we are committed to training the staff the NHS needs, and will work closely with partners in education to do this.

NHS England continues to lead on a range of initiatives to boost the retention of existing staff and to ensure that the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits. This includes a strong focus on improving organisational culture, supporting staff wellbeing, and promoting flexible working opportunities. It is continually reviewing the effectiveness of these, and their impact on the workforce.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions on care homes.

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

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process. This assessment took into account a wide range of factors, including changes to employer National Insurance contributions, and the National Living Wage increases. No specific assessment has been made on the impact of an increase to employer National Insurance contributions on care home providers.

In response to the range of pressures facing local authorities, the Government is providing a real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%, which includes £1.3 billion of new grant funding in 2025/26.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to create a memorial in central London to nuclear test veterans.

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

A memorial commemorating all personnel of the Combined Services Task Force, who served during the UK’s nuclear tests, is located at the National Memorial Arboretum, which is the focal point for commemorating all those who have served in the UK Armed Forces. We are also aware of a number of other local Nuclear Test Memorials across the UK.

The Ministry of Defence has no current plans for further memorials to nuclear test veterans. Memorials are typically financed by public subscription and are located with the permission of the relevant local authority.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people working illegally in nail bars in England and Wales.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman.

Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.

As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people working illegally in the food and drink sector.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman.

Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.

As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many business owners have been charged with employing illegal workers in each of the last three years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman.

Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.

As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people working illegally in car washes.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman.

Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.

As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people working illegally in the construction industry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman.

Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.

As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many full time equivalent staff are employed by the Race Equality Unit.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There is currently a total of 7 full time equivalent staff within the Race Equality Unit.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a horticulture strategy for England.

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

We appreciate the vital work of the horticulture industry and recognise that a long-term vision would recognise the specific needs and huge diversity of the sector.

As part of our mission-driven government, and in partnership with the sector, we are considering a number of ways to ensure our strategic approach to horticulture aligns with wider Government ambitions for the food system and represents the unique needs of the sector.

This includes a 25-year Farming Roadmap, which we will work with horticulture growers to develop a forward-looking plan for farming, making the sector more profitable and sustainable in the decades to come.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a cap on annual net migration.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Prime Minister has made clear the Government will not be introducing a cap on migration. Instead, the Government wants to see immigration come down significantly and we will take an evidence-based approach, linking migration policy to skills policy so immigration is no longer used at the expense of home-grown talent.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much police forces in England and Wales spent on roles related to equity, diversity and inclusion in the last three years.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold information relating to how much money is spent by police forces on roles related to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Decisions on how funding and resources are utilised are an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, who are best placed to make resourcing decisions within their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that active funding programmes focused on supporting farmers and farming communities abroad is value for money.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The FCDO employs robust systems and frameworks to ensure we achieve high standards of value for money and spend British taxpayers' money well. For example, by reviewing programmes annually, assessing how they perform against FCDO priorities and making improvements.

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) scrutinizes the effectiveness and value for money of UK aid. In June 2023, ICAI scored the UK's agriculture portfolio (covering all UK delivery programmes, investments and research funding related to agriculture) Green-Amber, reflecting its substantial achievements and recommending areas for improvement. The Government accepted all of ICAI's recommendations. A follow-up ICAI report in May 2024 commended the strength of FCDO's response to the recommendations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ensure that a proportion of the money raised from the statutory levy on gambling operators will be allocated to (a) charities and (b) other organisations that focus on the prevention of gambling harms and that are not sponsored by the gambling industry.

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

As set out in the Government’s response to the consultation on the statutory levy, we will introduce a statutory levy charged to all licensed gambling operators to fund the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm.

The government is clear that the third sector will play an important role in the future levy system. NHS England, and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, will commission treatment and support services, working collaboratively with the third sector. The levy will also provide sustainable funding to support the development of a coordinated approach to prevention, providing investment for organisations, including in the third sector, to develop and deliver harm reduction activities across Great Britain. Prevention remains a crucial part of the Government’s efforts to tackle gambling-related harm and it is important we take the time to get the policy right. The Department will continue to carefully consider the most effective approach to prevention and will publish a further response document setting out our final decisions in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to reduce the (a) risk of and (b) impact from fires in agricultural vehicles.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out the essential requirements that must be met before a machinery product is placed on the UK market, in order to protect users of that machinery from any undue harm. This includes agricultural vehicles in scope.

As part of those existing requirements, machinery must be designed and constructed in such a way as to avoid any risk of fire or overheating posed by the machinery itself or by gases, liquids, dust, vapours or other substances produced or used by the machinery.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the cost to the public purse was of the UK delegation's participation in COP29 in Baku.

Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Rupert Lowe) on 26 November to question UIN 14729.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether external (a) guidance and (b) training has been contracted for discussing (i) unconscious bias, (ii) critical race theory and (iii) decolonisation with staff in her Department.

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

The information requested is not centrally held.

However, Ministers believe that the application of critical race theory threatens to undermine integration and community cohesion, by exaggerating differences within local communities. Instead, we should be seeking to build and strengthen a shared local and national identity across class, colour and creed.

The Government has a plan for an Inclusive Britain which will address the causes for racial disparity, which are complex and are not always caused by discrimination or prejudice. The central mission of our approach is to improve people’s lives, and to do that we need to address the root causes of the disparities that they face.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in primary schools in England were suspended in each of the last three academic years.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department publishes figures from the school census on suspensions and permanent exclusions from state-funded schools in England. The most recent release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england.

The number of pupil enrolments in primary schools with one or more suspensions for the 2020/21 to 2022/23 academic years, which is the latest data available, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/40b7a1f8-c523-4d20-d522-08dd12dee30d.

For 2020/21, while suspensions and permanent exclusions were possible throughout the academic year, pandemic restrictions will have had an impact on the numbers presented, so caution should be taken when comparing across years.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire with (i) housing and (ii) education and skills training.

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

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, no matter which community they are based in. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those throughout South Holland and the Deepings and Lincolnshire get access to housing, employment and other support they need.

Op FORTITUDE is a single referral pathway available across the United Kingdom that provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 30 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and 822 veterans have been supported into housing.

The Prime Minister announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme and Op FORTITUDE, ensuring that support will be there for veterans at risk of homelessness. This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.

There is also a range of skills and education support available to veterans, including via the Career Transition Partnership, which supports those in search of new job and education opportunities.

Additional support is available to veterans and their families via a sector-based employment pathway, which offers employment and career progression support, including access to qualifications and training, at any stage in their lives after leaving service.

Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network, providing tailored advice and employability support to members of the armed forces community.

British Nuclear Testing Programme veterans

Found: Presented by Sir Edward Leigh supported by Rachael Maskell , Sir John Hayes , Danny Kruger , Sir