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 (a) uses and (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government occupies premises owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is engaging with GPA through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

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 monitors how much food waste its offices generate each month.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG do not hold catering or waste disposal contracts. Further information should be sought from the Government Property Agency.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)

The Northern Ireland Office does not operate any catering outlets or cafeterias within its office estate. Consequently, the Department does not generate food waste and does not monitor food waste levels.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department (a) uses and (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport does utilise roof space for the deployment of solar panels on its premises where it is viable and cost effective.

Where the Department for Transport occupies premises leased by the Government Property Agency (GPA), we are engaging with GPA through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

As at 31 December 2025, 203 Ministry of Defence individuals within the core workforce had their work location listed as either 'tasked from home' or 'home-based' on MyHR, the Civilian HR management computer system, indicating that they had a home-based contract. This represented 0.41% of a total core workforce of 50,026.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science & Trade (BIST) occupies premises predominantly owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

BIST is engaging with GPA through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether her Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

(a) The Cabinet Office estate isn’t currently using rooftop solar panels.

(b) Feasibility studies are currently being conducted at a number of Cabinet Office locations. Where opportunities are identified that rooftop solar panels can be installed, the earliest opportunity to commence delivery would be from the financial year 2027-28.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Department for Education occupies premises owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

The department is engaging with GPA through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department (a) uses or (b) plans to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Department occupies premises owned, leased and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice monitors the amount of food waste generated by the offices it manages each month. The total food waste recorded for 2025/26 was 4,406 tonnes, this makes up 10% of the total Ministry of Justice waste.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) uses solar panels across its UK and overseas estate, including Hanslope Park in the UK and photovoltaic (PV) arrays at UK diplomatic locations such as Tunisia, Jordan, The Gambia and Zimbabwe. Depending on site suitability, solar arrays are either rooftop-mounted or ground-mounted.

The FCDO continues to identify and progress opportunities in the UK and Global estate to use solar PV to reduce costs and emissions from its buildings.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister gave authorisation for the national emergency alert sent in August 2026.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Emergency Alert broadcast on 14 August was authorised by the First Secretary of State following a request from the National Fire Chiefs Council. Every Emergency Alert is carefully coordinated with responding public bodies and agencies.

This tool is only used in emergency scenarios and where the need is greatest. The Cabinet Office remains committed to reviewing every alert request on a case-by-case basis.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The requested information is not centrally collated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Melanie Ward - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office occupies premises owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

Enquiries related to these buildings should be directed to the Government Property Agency (GPA) and HMRC.

Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up to 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not offer permanent home-working contracts at the point of recruitment, with employees having a contractual base location at an MoJ office or property.

In limited circumstances, contractual homeworking arrangements may be agreed, including as a reasonable adjustment, and some employees may have transferred into the Department on protected terms which include homeworking. This is distinct from the MoJ’s hybrid working arrangements, under which employees may work both from home and in the workplace without their home being their contractual work location.

The MoJ remains committed to flexible working and the business benefits that it offers, including supporting the Civil Service priority of ensuring continued, effective and productive delivery of the work carried out by civil servants across the full range of services.

Whether an individual is employed on a permanent home-working contract is not reliably recorded on the Department's central HR system. The number and proportion of employees on such contracts in 2025 is therefore not held centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with early onset dementia have received a care plan review in the most recent period for which data is available in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the NHS England Primary Care Dementia Data:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data/june-2026#related-links

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice uses rooftop solar panels across a number of its premises and is taking steps to deploy additional panels where technically and financially feasible.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

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

The Home Office occupies premises owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA), which is responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.

The Home Office is engaging with GPA through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of complaints relating to private parking fines issued in Lincolnshire in the past five years.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not hold data on the number of complaints relating to private parking fines issued in Lincolnshire in the past five years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department did not incur any spend associated with or linked to Pride Month 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that (1) the strategic road network and (2) local road network in South Holland and the Deepings constituency is free of potholes and safe for road users.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government is investing a record £8.4 billion renewing the Strategic Road Network over the next 5 years through the third Road Investment Strategy so that the network can continue to be relied upon by road users across the country. The funding will enable National Highways to resurface around a quarter of the entire network.

The Government is also investing a record £7.3 billion in local highway maintenance over the next four years, providing local authorities with long-term funding certainty to tackle potholes and improve road condition.

Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) is eligible to receive over £368 million across this period. It is for GLCCA to decide how much of this funding should be spent across their constituent local highway authorities (LHAs), including within Lincolnshire County Council, who are the LHA covering the South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

In addition to record funding, the Government has also introduced a strengthened regime of transparency reporting, incentive funding requirements and annually updated ratings. LHAs have recently published their 2026 highways maintenance transparency reports, enabling residents to see how funding is being used and how their roads are being managed.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department provides to museums and galleries in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Earlier this year, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced a £1.5 billion funding package for culture over this Parliament, £160 million of which is earmarked for local museums around the country. This includes further rounds of the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which has previously funded essential infrastructure projects in Lincolnshire: in 2024, Spalding Gentlemen's Society received £1.8 million from MEND, and Boston Guildhall was awarded £401,000 in 2026.

Arts Council England (ACE) is investing over £450 million of public money into its National Portfolio programme this financial year, providing core funding to c.974 organisations across the country. Several Lincolnshire organisations are part of the National Portfolio, including Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery in Lincoln, 20:21 Visual Arts Gallery in Scunthorpe and the Ropewalk in Barton-upon-Humber, as well as Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, North Lincolnshire Museum and Normanby Hall (as part of Humber Museums Partnership). Other Lincolnshire museums to receive funding from ACE include Chain Bridge Forge museum (£57,000 National Lottery Project Grant in 2024), Louth Museum (£1,261 National Lottery Project Grant in 2025), and The Village Church Farm Museum (£14,085 from the DCMS Museum Renewal Fund in 2025).

Boston, East Lindsey, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, and West Lindsey are all Culture Priority Places. These are local authority areas in England in which we will focus public investment and engagement to ensure the benefits of arts and culture can be felt where need is greatest.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the museum sector in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Earlier this year, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced a £1.5 billion funding package for culture over this Parliament, £160 million of which is earmarked for local museums around the country. This includes further rounds of the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which has previously funded essential infrastructure projects in Lincolnshire: in 2024, Spalding Gentlemen's Society received £1.8 million from MEND, and Boston Guildhall was awarded £401,000 in 2026.

Arts Council England (ACE) is investing over £450 million of public money into its National Portfolio programme this financial year, providing core funding to c.974 organisations across the country. Several Lincolnshire organisations are part of the National Portfolio, including Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery in Lincoln, 20:21 Visual Arts Gallery in Scunthorpe and the Ropewalk in Barton-upon-Humber, as well as Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, North Lincolnshire Museum and Normanby Hall (as part of Humber Museums Partnership). Other Lincolnshire museums to receive funding from ACE include Chain Bridge Forge museum (£57,000 National Lottery Project Grant in 2024), Louth Museum (£1,261 National Lottery Project Grant in 2025), and The Village Church Farm Museum (£14,085 from the DCMS Museum Renewal Fund in 2025).

Boston, East Lindsey, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, and West Lindsey are all Culture Priority Places. These are local authority areas in England in which we will focus public investment and engagement to ensure the benefits of arts and culture can be felt where need is greatest.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of overpayments under the COVID-19 Voluntary Repayment Scheme have been recovered since 2020.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The COVID-19 Voluntary Repayment Scheme (VRS) was a three-month scheme that ran from 12 September 2025 to 12 December 2025 in which individuals and businesses could repay COVID-19 support money that they were not entitled to, misused or simply did not need.

For Covid Loan Schemes, borrowers were not required to register with the VRS and were instead encouraged to contact their lender directly to make repayments. As a result, repayment activity relating to Covid Loan Schemes is not captured through the VRS and cannot be reported separately. For Covid Business Support Grant Schemes, eight respondents repaid a total of £108,785.29.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department (a) uses and (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department currently has solar PV installations in operation across 7 sites within its estate and a programme to complete a further 10 installations on our sites during the current financial year (2026-2027).

In addition, the Department is actively engaging with our landlords to identify further opportunities for rooftop solar deployment and is developing a pipeline of potential projects for future delivery, subject to feasibility, landlord agreement and funding availability.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Melanie Ward - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office does not monitor the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month. The Department's offices are located in buildings managed by the Government Property Agency and HM Revenue and Customs. Both the Government Property Agency and HMRC provide facilities management services, and are responsible for monitoring and recording food waste generated within those buildings.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much her Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.

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

The Department did not spend anything on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how much his Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

No money was spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026 by former Department for Business and Trade or former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to produce an annual report on the state of NHS dentistry in England.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

At present, NHS England reports on progress against its objectives for National Health Service dentistry as part of its annual report to Parliament. We will keep options for reporting progress in this area under review.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support grassroots football in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing at least £400 million into community grassroots sport facilities across the next four years. In 2026/27, this includes £85 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide.

Since the 2024/25 financial year, DCMS has distributed £12,812 to South Holland and the Deepings constituency to support the improvement of grassroots football and multi-sport facilities, supporting investment in new goalposts at Tyrell’s Yard, Holbeach Bank Playing Field and Moulton Harrox among other venues.

We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what grassroots sports facilities each community needs to inform future investment.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps has she taken to help ensure that older people can engage in community sports in Lincolnshire.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities to stay fit and healthy.

DCMS’s arm’s-length body, Sport England, invests Exchequer and Lottery funding across the country to increase participation in sport and physical activity for under-represented groups, including older people.

In Lincolnshire, this is delivered through close collaboration with the Active Partnership, Active Lincolnshire, who champion physical activity with local leaders to develop interventions tailored to communities.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether her Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not individually monitor the amount of food waste. The AGO is located in a shared building where facilities management is overseen by the Ministry of Justice.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Department does not monitor the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month. The Department's offices are located in buildings managed by the Government Property Agency and HM Revenue & Customs, which provide facilities management services and are responsible for monitoring and recording food waste generated within those buildings.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether her Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office monitors food waste in line with the Greening Government Commitments.

Data is collected through existing estate and facilities management arrangements and reported to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Found: Rt Hon Sir John Hayes CBE MP echoed this, telling us: It makes sense to limit tabling to 20 questions