Rupert Lowe

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 12 November is attached.

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

Civil Service Turnover data is published annually through the Civil Service statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

Civil Service departments are responsible for managing their own workforces and ensuring they have the right skills to deliver the Government’s priorities. The Civil Service People Plan commits to ensuring the best people are working in Government, and that the Civil Service offers an enriching career path which rewards excellence in public service.

No staff in 10 Downing Street have the word ‘diversity’ in their job title.

Official statistics on company incorporation and liquidation are published quarterly. These are made publicly available online by Companies House. We have excerpted and reproduced the relevant figures for your convenience below:

The most recent complete datasets can be found here:

Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024 - GOV.UK

Statistics for previous periods are available here.

Since its creation on 7 February 2023 and up until 31 March 2024, the Department for Business and Trade has incurred no first-class air travel expenditure as it is not permitted under the travel policy.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.

Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.

Businesses have drawn a total of £46.59 billion under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. 12.97% of facilities by volume have been repaid and 59.44% of facilities by volume are on schedule. 19.77% of facilities by volume have been settled under the Government guarantee. The Department publishes performance data on the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes on a quarterly basis.

The final year-end outturn is recorded in OSCAR II for years 22-23 and prior. The 23-24 data is still pending final updates based on the finalisation of DBT’s accounts for 23-24.

Data showing the value and volume of coal imported into the UK is presented in the following table:

The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.

The setting of standing charges is a commercial matter for suppliers. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated.

We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.

The Department is committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through its diversity networks.

The Central Digital & Data Office has worked with HM Treasury to develop assessment criteria for the spending review. The criteria focus on generating value for the taxpayer and ensuring investment in AI technology provides a significant return on investment.

There is ongoing work to analyse the potential cost and value of AI for civil service functions, the outcomes of which are yet to be determined.

Public sector adoption is a key part of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which will detail how we can reimagine our public services by ensuring the public sector takes advantage of the best emerging use-cases and tools.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, over 98% of premises in the Great Yarmouth constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and 75% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.

To extend gigabit-capable coverage further, CityFibre is delivering a £114.2 million contract under Project Gigabit, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to around 62,000 premises across Norfolk that would otherwise miss out, including in Great Yarmouth.

NSOIT leads the operational response to information risks to UK audiences. Its ministerially agreed remit is to focus on public safety and national security risks. This includes mis- and disinformation arising from events such as the public unrest which occurred over the summer as well as ongoing risks to the UK’s core values and democratic processes from foreign states’ interference.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.

Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.

The National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) works to identify information threats by analysing narratives and trends from publicly available information online, around topics or events where ministers agree there is a high risk to UK audiences. This does not include the monitoring of individuals.

It is not appropriate for me to share details of the NSOIT’s resourcing as this information could give hostile actors insights into UK capabilities.

Since 2015, 279 swimming pools on sites owned by Local Authorities have closed. At the same time, 248 swimming pools have opened. Facilities may close for a number of reasons: this can include the rationalisation of multiple older facilities into a modern, better located facility.

The breakdown for closures per year is as follows:

• 2015: 40

• 2016: 36

• 2017: 31

• 2018: 23

• 2019: 31

• 2020: 40

• 2021: 27

• 2022: 27

• 2023: 20

• 2024 (as of end of August) : 4

Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.

National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport.

Gifts and hospitality data for Ministers, Senior Officials and Special Advisors is published quarterly, details of which can be found on the gov.uk website. Here is the most recent publication of Ministers gifts and hospitality, covering the period of Q4 2023/24 (January 2024 - March 2024).

Cabinet Office are yet to confirm when the data covering the periods Q1 and Q2 2024/25 will be published. In future, the Cabinet Office intends to publish a monthly Central Register beginning in December 2024. This will cover all ministers’ gifts and hospitality for November 2024 onwards.

The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the annual number of prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing outcomes for non-payment of the TV licence fee as part of their criminal justice quarterly publications. The publications can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.

Information on spending and staffing can be found in the department’s annual report & accounts.

The department does not hold information on total school days lost due to school closures during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic the department did collect and publish information on attendance in education and early years settings. This information can be found in the following statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

The table below shows the amount that has been cancelled or written off in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years, broken down by reason.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the department approved the Student Loans Company (SLC) to close or write off accounts confirmed as deceased by HMRC. Previously, when notifications were received from HMRC, SLC would be required to obtain the death certificate copy which would result in delays in closing the account formally (the account would sit at 'Deceased Notified'). The SLC are working through a backlog of cases, hence increased numbers of such write-offs in the 2023/24 financial year.

Write-offs do not include trivial balance write-offs. Trivial balance write-offs occur if there is a positive or negative balance on an account of £25 or less and no contact can be established with the borrower (customers can request for this to be reversed). In the context of these figures, these borrowers are considered fully repaid and are therefore not included. Cancellations involve the clearance of the remaining debt in line with the terms of the loan, for example, when reaching a specific age or becoming permanently disabled. Write-offs for bankruptcy, Individual Voluntary Arrangement or trust deed are no longer allowed against student loans balances. Any figures arise from retrospective clear up exercises.

These figures have been taken from SLC’s student loans in England publication which is updated in June each year. The publication, Student loans in England: 2023 to 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2023-to-2024.

The figures were published in ‘Table 1A’ here: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F6672d0e2f92bc4be25da7e13%2Fslcsp012024.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.

The department holds data on average class sizes in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics. This publication holds average class size at national level, local authority and school level. School level data from before 2010 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupil-and-their-characteristics-2002-to-2009-data.

Parliamentary constituencies are based on their boundaries at the time of the January school census each year. Therefore, the 2024 parliamentary boundaries do not reflect the changes made in the summer of 2024.

Where statistics were published prior to the changes in parliamentary constituency boundaries, they will be updated to reflect the new boundaries in the next publication of statistics. This is expected to be in June 2025 for the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication.

Class size data is published at school level. This can be combined with information from the Get Information About Schools (GIAS) website to identify parliamentary constituency, which is available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. GIAS currently reflects the changes made following the general election parliamentary constituency changes. Updates to geographical data are made on a quarterly basis using data published by the Office for National Statistics.

The table below is a breakdown of apprentices in the department for the last five financial years:

Tackling absence is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. If children are not in school, it does not matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, they will not benefit. The government recognises school absence as a key barrier to learning.

Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure that their child of compulsory school age attends school regularly. Regular school attendance is vital for children’s attainment, mental wellbeing and long-term development.

Taking children out of school during term time can damage their education and cause unnecessary disruption for teachers and other pupils. There are 175 days per year when pupils are not expected to be in school which gives families various opportunities to enjoy holidays.

Thanks to the sector's efforts, more students are attending school this year compared to last. However, 1.6 million children remain persistently absent, missing 10% or more of lessons.

The Government has no plans to change the legal protections for gull species. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee Seabird Census (2015-2021) and the 2024 Birds of Conservation Concern report indicate substantial population declines due to, for example, avian influenza and prey availability. This includes gull species such as herring and lesser black-backed gulls.

All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In exceptional cases Natural England can issue licences for the management of protected species, including gulls, for certain purposes such as protecting public health and safety or for conservation.