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Written Question
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Translation Services
Friday 21st November 2025

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

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

The table below shows the amount the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency spent on translation and interpretation services in the last five financial years:

Financial year

Spend on translation and interpretation service

2020-2021

£30,081.48

2021-2022

£51,485.04

2022-2023

£77,577.38

2023-2024

£110,494.64

2024-2025

£124,951.66


Written Question
Food Standards Agency: Translation Services
Friday 21st November 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, how much the Food Standards Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

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

The following table show how much the Food Standards Agency spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years:

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Expenditure on translation and interpretation services

£8,000

£5,000

£4,000

Nil

Nil

Data in the table relates to the Food Standards Agency’s Westminster budget. Expenditure in Wales and Northern Ireland, funded by the respective devolved administrations, has been excluded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.


Written Question
General Practitioners: Lincolnshire
Friday 21st November 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, what recent steps he has taken to train more GPs in Lincolnshire.

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

As of 30 September 2025, there were 115 full-time equivalent general practitioners (GPs) in training grade in practices in Lincolnshire county. The Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) reports that it has a very good track record of training GPs. This includes:

  • supporting the First5 group. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) supports and encourages its First5 members to shape their membership experience through the running of its First5 Community Group, which exists to ensure that newly qualified GPs, or First5s, have the opportunity to shape their experience as a First5 member of the RCGP, discuss matters relevant to the early stages of their career, and make suggestions and propose changes to improve the college's offer for newly qualified GPs;
  • encouraging portfolio careers;
  • delivering support with international visa applications; and
  • an increase in training practices to support the expansion of training practices in Lincoln and Boston vocational training schemes.

The Lincolnshire Training Hub, working alongside the ICB’s primary care team, has developed a comprehensive recruitment and retention programme, which has delivered projects including the Future Doctor Programme, an entry level pipeline schools’ initiative across Lincolnshire.


Written Question
Ministry of Justice: Civil Service
Friday 21st November 2025

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Department only holds details of events organised by Ministry of Justice staff networks.


Written Question
HM Land Registry: Translation Services
Friday 21st November 2025

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much HM Land Registry has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

HM Land Registry (HMLR) has spent £52,336 on translation and interpretation services, including sign-language interpretation, in the previous 5 years as below.

The significant majority of the expenditure relates to translating HMLR official documents into Welsh under the statutory requirements set out in the Welsh Language Act 1993.

2020-21 14,718

2021-22 10,357

2022-23 8,917

2023-24 6,955

2024-25 11,389

Grand Total 52,336


Written Question
Department of Health and Social Care: Sanitation
Friday 21st November 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, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its premises.

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

The Department’s premises have 187 single sex cubicles, 62 urinals, and 11 non-gendered universal toilets which are individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, a washbasin, and hand-drying facilities. This is in addition to 34 wheelchair accessible toilets.




Written Question
Department of Health and Social Care: Civil Service
Friday 21st November 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, if he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

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

The information is not held centrally by the Department and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Ofsted: Translation Services
Friday 21st November 2025

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 translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (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.


Written Question
Ofqual: Translation Services
Friday 21st November 2025

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 Ofqual has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, 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.



Written Question
Food: Labelling
Thursday 20th November 2025

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, what steps she is taking to ensure that food labelling schemes used by UK retailers provide consumers with (a) clear and (b) accurate information on (i) environmental and (ii) animal welfare standards, in the context of the Advertising Standards Authority ruling on Red Tractor.

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

The Government supports the objective of preventing misleading labelling. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable consumers to make informed decisions. The rules also specify what particular information must be provided and how it must be presented.

The Government cooperates with a number of food assurance schemes, which help provide UK consumers and businesses with information about the food they buy. Whilst assurance schemes operate independently of Government, the Food Standards Agency and the Competition and Markets Authority maintain close contact with these organisations and monitors whether communications and claims made by them are accurate.

To further support transparency and prevent misleading claims, the Competition and Markets Authority has issued the Green Claims Code. This guidance is particularly relevant for businesses that make environmental claims or rely on certifications and accreditations.