Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Forestry Commission has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Forestry Commission provides IT equipment to support staff working in a blended way, between office space and home and also a small number of contracted home workers.
Equipment is procured through best-value frameworks, including the Civil Service Purchase Platform, and is redeployed wherever possible to ensure value for money.
Estimated expenditure on IT equipment to support staff working from home or in a blended capacity:
Forestry Commission (Forest Services, Forestry England and Commissioners Office):
Forest Research:
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase funding support for community-based specialist brain injury services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government wants a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as an acquired brain injury (ABI), receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care. We recognise the profound impact that brain injuries can have on an individual and their loved ones, and recognise that there is a need for national action to improve the lives of people who have experienced an ABI.
We intend to develop an ABI Action Plan, with input from NHS England and other Government departments, to be published in the autumn of this year. The recently published 10-Year Health Plan provides the overarching plan for the future of the National Health Service, and a subsequent ABI plan would then focus on specific actions and deliverables for ABI against the backdrop of the 10-Year Health Plan. This will ensure a coherent, targeted approach. The new ABI Action Plan will be concise, action-oriented, and accountable, in order to drive real change for people with ABI.
In January 2025, NHS England published the guidance Standardising community health services, which outlines the core community health services that integrated care boards (ICBs) should consider when planning services for their local population. Community rehabilitation for people with neurological conditions is named as one of the ICB-funded core components of community health services. Further information on Standardising community health services is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/standardising-community-health-services/
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing guidance on rehabilitation for people with chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, which is expected to be published in September. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181
NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme is also working with the National Clinical Director for Neurology and the Neurology Clinical Reference Group to develop a revised service specification for neurology. The revised service specification for Specialised Neurology Services in England will cover ABI and is expected to be published later in 2025.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 61 of the policy paper entitled Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, published on 1 July 2025, whether the delivery indicators will include the size of the illicit tobacco trade.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department and NHS England are working closely together on delivery plans for the commitments made in the plan. These plans will consider how best to support the public’s health needs and the financial sustainability of our National Health Service.
Data on the size of the illicit tobacco trade is published annually by HM Revenue and Customs, and is available at the following link:
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much the Intellectual Property Office has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Intellectual Property Office does not hold a complete central record of all spending on equipment to support home working as provision can be made utilising office surplus or stock equipment. Information is only centrally recorded where the individual costs exceed £500 or recorded as a reasonable adjustment in line with Health and Safety legislation for Occupational Health.
The Office has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:
(i) 2022-23 = £27,069.13
(ii) 2023-24 = £8250.11
(iii) 2024-25 = Zero spend
To obtain comprehensive data for each of the last three years, it would be necessary to contact holders of asset registers across the organisation, which would not be possible within the timeframe for responding to a Written Parliamentary Question, and would incur a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Ofwat has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat's staff balance working from home and in the office. This is important to support collaboration, build and sustain relationships with others, and support the delivery of Ofwat's business outcomes. Working from the office provides opportunities for face-to-face interaction and connection, in-person meetings, and networking.
Taking this hybrid approach, Ofwat recognises that staff are likely to incur new or additional spend on hybrid working incidentals. Ofwat has spent the following on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years:
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s (VMD’s) spend on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years is:
Year | Total |
|
FY2022/23 | £10,579.77 |
|
FY2023/24 | £6,248.34 |
|
FY2024/25 | £3,235.72 |
|
The VMD is unable to differentiate between costs that are associated with the provision of equipment for use at home relating to a workplace adjustment, and formal working contracts versus any costs associated with hybrid working arrangements. Obtaining this information could only be achieved at a disproportionate cost.
The VMD, in common with other directorates and Government departments, has agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tobacco excise duty policy on the size of the illicit tobacco market.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Tobacco duty aims to both raise revenue and reduce harm to public health by discouraging smoking. In 2024/25 tobacco duty raised almost £8 billion. High duty rates, making tobacco less affordable, have helped reduce smoking prevalence with the percentage of adult smokers in the UK decreasing from 26% in 2000 to 11.9% in 2024.
Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000.
Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Ofsted has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government Property Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Agency uses the Cabinet Office's policy on Office Workstation Safety which includes the purchase of equipment for working at home. We do not have any formal home working contracts at the GPA.
IT equipment is purchased for the Government Property Agency (GPA) via Cabinet Office IT and recharged annually. However, to extract the relevant information would incur disproportionate costs.
Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Crown Commercial Service has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The provision of equipment by Crown Commercial Service (CCS) for staff to use when working at home is made in line with Health and Safety legislation and workplace adjustment requirements.
Information on how much has been spent specifically to facilitate home working could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.