Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost is of (a) the National Child Measurement Programme and (b) feedback letters relating to that Programme.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a mandatory public health function of local authorities, and collects data on the weight status of children aged four to five years old, who would be in reception, and 10 to 11 years old, who would be in Year 6. The data is used both nationally and locally, to inform child health and obesity policy planning and commissioning.

The NCMP is funded through the Public Health Grant for local authorities, at a cost of £19,967,000 in 2023/24, the latest year for which data on cost is available. Local authorities determine the method and model of delivery. Local commissioning and delivery therefore varies between local authorities.

Providing feedback to parents in the form of feedback letters is not a mandated component of the NCMP. It is a local authority’s decision on whether to notify parents of their children’s measurements, and what information and support is offered. The Department does not hold or have access to data on the costs of providing feedback letters to parents. The information is collected at a local authority level, and forms part of the local authority revenue expenditure and financing for social care and public health services on ‘obesity – children’.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Prime Minister has spent on foreign travel since taking office.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As is longstanding practice, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was paid to DA Languages by all Departments in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not hold information relating to other Departments’ expenditure.

The Cabinet Office has not incurred any spend with DA Languages in each of the last ten years.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Border Security and Asylum in response to the question from the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth during Oral Questions to the Home Office on 25 November 2024, what data will be published; when that data will be published; and whether that data will include crimes committed by irregular migrants.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the statistics published on Thursday 28 November by the Home Office which can be found on the Migration statistics gov.uk page.

Data on Foreign national offenders in UK prisons is available in the House of Lords Library and comes from the Ministry of Justice’s Offender management statistics quarterly release.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of court cases have required a translator for each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Secretary of State for Transport

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many calls within the NHS were translated by each language code in each of the last ten years; and what the cost was to the public purse in each of those years.

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

The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the total amount deducted from benefit payments to pay for claimants' court imposed fines each year for the ten previous years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Table 1 provides the total amount deducted from Universal Credit payments to repay a Court Fine debt for each financial year from April 2018 to August 2024.

Notes:

1. Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest million.

2. Court fines are classed as a Third Party Deduction. Data for Third Party Deductions is incomplete before April 2018, so we can't provide data for earlier years.

3. Data up to August 2024 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Deductions Statistics.

4. Data for 2018/19 only includes Universal Credit full service claims. Data on Universal Credit live service for 2018/19 is not available. In May 2016 the Universal Credit full service for all claimant types began to rollout nationally and was completed by the end of 2018.

5. Comparison across the different financial years is problematic due to changes in the deductions policy for Universal Credit, which would have affected the number of households having a third party deduction.

6. Figures have been provided for Universal Credit households in Great Britain. Northern Ireland claims are administered by the Department for Communities.

7. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

8. The methodology used is different to those used to derive the Official Statistics Household series and therefore, figures may not be comparable.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total amount of fines collected for taking children out of school during term time was in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

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

The department collects information from local authorities on penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence, including numbers of penalty notices issued, paid within 21 days, paid within 28 days, and other outcomes. This is published in the statistical release ‘parental responsibility measures’ and can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures.

The amount payable was £60 if paid within 21 days of receipt, rising to £120 if paid between 22 and 28 days. From August 2024, the fine for school absences is £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days. In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate of £160.

The number of penalty notices issued, paid within 21 days, paid within 28 days, and other outcomes, by local authorities and for England, can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/3d370ede-53eb-454f-f8ae-08dd0adc50ad.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the (a) number and (b) total cost to the public purse of courses available to inmates at (i) HMP Maidstone, (ii) HMP Huntercombe and (iii) HMP Morton Hall for the last financial year.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In 2023-24, 23 education courses were provided at HMP Maidstone, 26 at HMP Huntercombe and 48 at HMP Morton Hall.

Data on the cost of providing these courses at HMP Huntercombe and HMP Morton Hall are in the process of validation. Information in relation to HMP Maidstone is not available, as the costs form part of a single budget item covering a number of prisons and cannot be disaggregated.

Courses, such as the ones offered at these sites, are one of many valuable ways in which we can improve rehabilitation and cut reoffending which costs society more than £18 billion per year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what forms his Department requires farmers to complete each year; what the length of these forms are; and what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the administration burden on farmers.

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

The Government does not require the same forms annually, and therefore we cannot provide this information. However, we are committed to improving the services we offer to farmers. Through ongoing service design and research with farmers, we continue to optimise our farming schemes, including the administration they include, to make published content clear and by iterating form design, so they work efficiently for farmers, food security and the environment, especially for those that are too often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms. This is a priority for the new Government and we will announce more information in due course.

In the meantime, the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) strategic programme is focused on enhancing and streamlining services, including customer communications, application processes, forms, and data collection. This initiative includes multiple projects aimed at understanding and alleviating the administrative load faced by farmers and other stakeholders.

As part of this programme, APHA has already conducted extensive user research, engaging customers across various sectors to identify their challenges and pain points. By listening directly to those who use its services, APHA is gaining valuable insights that allow it to evaluate and test solutions to make interactions with APHA smoother and more efficient.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners per constituency in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Statistics on the number of pensioners living in relative and absolute poverty are not available at a constituency level.

Statistics on the number of pensioners living in relative and absolute poverty at regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department plan to attend the NFU farming rally on 19 November 2024.

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

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spoke to farmers who attended the NFU farming rally on 19 November and has had frequent engagement with the farming sector, including with NFU President Tom Bradshaw the evening before the rally.

Ministers have had further meetings with key industry organisations, including the Country Land and Business Association Conference. Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner met with the NFU, British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation, and UK Hospitality. He also spoke at the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution parliamentary reception. He has also recently spoken at the Northern Farming Conference, the Eggs and Poultry Industry conference, the Agricultural Industries Confederation conference and the Tenant Farmers Association Executive Committee.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the total amount written off in court fine accounts for each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Financial penalties imposed by the courts will often consist of multiple elements including, amongst others, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecutor’s costs and a fine.

The Government takes the recovery and enforcement of all financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to ensuring impositions are paid. The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of sanctions to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties.

In very limited scenarios, HMCTS may decide to administratively write-off the debt, the circumstances in which this can happen are severely restricted and occur only when there is no opportunity for the debt to be collected, for example, when a company has been dissolved with no distributable assets. The debt is written off for administrative purposes only, the imposition is still legally enforceable and if in the future it becomes apparent that assets are available to pay the debt then the account is written back. There also remain specific and limited situations where the Court can legally cancel any debt.

The table below details the net value of the fine element of an imposition that has been administratively written off/ (written back - reinstated) for each financial year from 2014-15 to 2023-24. Judicial cancellations are not included as these are a direct instruction from the court to amend the value of the imposition.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14367 on Non-Crime Hate Incidents, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on non-crime hate incidents.

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

The Government is carefully considering next steps relating to the recording of non-crime hate incidents.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that no foreign aid is spent on overseas farmers.

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

Internationally, agriculture and food systems play an important role in tackling poverty and hunger, addressing climate change and driving economic growth. They contribute to global food security and help ensure stable, sustainable and resilient global food markets to the benefit of British farmers, exporters and consumers.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) brings other direct benefits to UK farmers. For example, for each £1 the UK invests in CGIAR, the world's leading agricultural innovation organisation, UK farmers receive between £1.60 and £2.40 in benefits from the increased productivity of of the farming of wheat, dairy, beef and pulses.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a breakdown of planned foreign aid by country for 2025.

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

We are committed to transparency and will separately publish the FCDO's planned Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations for FY2024/25 and FY2025/26 in due course.

The FCDO reports annually on the UK's calendar year ODA expenditure for the previous calendar year via the Statistics on International Development publication, available on gov.uk. Outturn data on the countries and multilateral organisations in receipt of the FCDO's ODA in 2025 will be published in autumn 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department spent on staff (a) travel, (b) subsistence and (c) stays in hotels in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not keep this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Information on annual DWP spend can be found here.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants in (a) contingency and (b) dispersal accommodation broken down into (i) single and (ii) multiple occupancy rooms, in the latest period for which data is available.

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

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, by local authority and accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab). The Home Office does not publish data disaggregated by room type.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether officials from her Department are responsible for collecting irregular migrants attending school at the end of each day.

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

No.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of (a) Magistrate Court, (b) Crown Court and (c) County Court trials that have collapsed due to (i) delay and (ii) error by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

We have interpreted this question as an estimate of the proportion of ineffective trials at the criminal courts that have not gone ahead on the day as planned in the last 5 years. We do not hold data that details delay or error by the Crown Prosecution Service. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is also not involved in County Court proceedings and therefore the answer to this question covers the criminal jurisdiction only.

There are multiple reasons why a trial may not go ahead on the day, as planned. These include other cases over-running and there being insufficient court time, prosecution or defence witnesses being absent, the defendant not attending when required and either the prosecution or defence not being ready to proceed.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on trial effectiveness for a wide range of reasons, up to and including data to December 2023, in the Trial Effectiveness at the Criminal Courts tool. This can be downloaded from the latest Criminal Court Statistics publication here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2023.

Our latest published data at the end of December 2023 shows that the ineffective trial rate at the Crown Court sat at 27%. Similarly, the ineffective trial rate at the Magistrates’ Court sat at 22%.

Across all jurisdictions, we are working closely with partners across the justice system to improve readiness of cases for hearing at court and reduce delays. This includes the use of Case Coordinators to improve adherence to the principles of Better Case Management. These principles link key initiatives to improve the way cases are processed through the system, covering areas such as robust case management, reduced but more effective hearings, and compliance with the rules and directions of the criminal court. The proof-of-concept is currently scheduled to conclude in August 2025, and the full evaluation at that point will test the business case for any further rollout.

The Criminal Courts Improvement Group (CCIG), chaired by the Senior Presiding Judge, works to improve adherence to Better Case Management Principles. CCIG focuses on improving efficiency across the system and aims to improve case management practices.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that asylum seekers do not fraudulently use sexual orientation as part of the basis of their claim.

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

If any individual Is found not to require the protection for which they have claimed asylum, then their claim will be refused.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people smugglers have been sentenced in relation to irregular migration across the English Channel since 2018.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on offenders sentenced for irregular migration offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: June 2024.

However, data held centrally does not include information on whether offenders were people smugglers involved in irregular migration specifically across the English Channel. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people whose application for asylum was initially refused were subsequently granted asylum in the last 15 years.

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

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial and latest outcomes of asylum claims is published annually in table Asy_D04 of the ‘Outcome analysis of asylum applications detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to claims made up to the end of 2023 with the latest case outcomes recorded as at July 2024. Please note that many claims, particularly from more recent years, will still be awaiting an initial decision or the outcome of an appeal or review and their latest case outcome will be subject to change.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with what companies for what services at what cost to the public purse her Department has contracts relating to (a) dispersal and (b) contingency accommodation for asylum seekers.

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

Information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) agreed by the Government and its agencies is available at: Contracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contractors provide what services related to irregular migration at what cost to the public purse.

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

Information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) agreed by the Government and its agencies is available at: Contracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what equipment produced in China his Department has bought at what cost to the public purse in each of the last five years.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) welcomes foreign trade where it allows us to provide our Armed Forces with the equipment they require, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements and does not compromise our national security. Defence utilises Chinese manufactured goods throughout its supply chain, however the Department’s direct spend for goods manufactured in China for the last five years is as follows:

We are unable to provide details of the specific items purchased as this spend data is captured by the MOD to monitor contractual spend. Statistical analysis and reporting is a secondary function.

Transactions continue to be monitored where there are potential national security concerns from any country, and the Department will investigate and apply appropriate mitigations where required.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels have been used to house irregular migrants since 2018.

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

The Home Office does not publish data on the number of hotels in use. However, we can confirm that hotel use peaked at more than 400 under the previous government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on food for irregular migrants housed in hotels in each year since 2018.

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

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to support and accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. It does not collect or publish a breakdown of the resulting costs by type.

The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts: Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is an official process to inform local residents when a hotel is used to house irregular migrants.

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

For the safety, security and wellbeing of those indiviuals staying in Home Office accommodation and the staff who work there, we do not disclose information about specific hotels which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office to the general public.

However, to ensure that views of key external stakeholders are sought and partners are engaged, the Home Office works with Regional Strategic Migration Partnerships to engage directly with local authorities and other statutory partners when there are plans to open a hotel in their local area.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average amount of time that elapsed between the arrival in the UK of foreign nationals who go on to offend and the date of their offence by nationality in the last 12 months.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave on 27 November to his Question UIN 15076.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Border Security and Asylum to the Urgent Question on Asylum Seekers: Hotel Accommodation of 20 November 2024, Official Report, column 277, in which constituencies the 220 hotels are; and what the star rating is of each hotel.

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

For the safety and security of residents and staff at its accommodation sites, the Home Office does not publish detail of each site in use. However, data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, by local authority and accommodation type, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for the most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total amount of outstanding court fines are.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Financial penalties imposed by the courts will often consist of multiple elements including, amongst others, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecutor’s costs and a fine.

The Government takes the recovery and enforcement of all financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to ensuring impositions are paid. The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of sanctions to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties. These sanctions can include deducting money from an individual offender’s earnings or benefits, if they are unemployed, or issuing warrants instructing approved enforcement agents to seize and sell goods belonging to the offender. If the offender does not pay as ordered and the money cannot be recovered by other means, then the court can take other actions which includes sending them to prison for non-payment of the financial penalty including a fine.

The total amount of outstanding fines is published annually in note 4 of the HMCTS Trust Statement. (Trust Statement 2023-24).

The amount outstanding at 31 March 2024 was £1,064,286,669.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13342 on Shoplifting Prosecutions, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) number of people who avoided charges and (b) value of goods lost because of the effective immunity on shoplifted goods under £200 in value in the last three years.

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

It is not possible to estimate the number of people who have avoided criminal sanctions, or the value of items stolen, as a result of the effective immunity on shoplifted goods under £200 introduced by the last Government.

However, this Government will send a clear message that all those who take part in this criminality should face the full force of the law and we are determined to remove any perception that offenders will escape punishment. That’s why we will end the effective immunity granted to shop theft of goods under £200.

This Government will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores, because everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will encourage local authorities with (a) hotels and (b) other accommodation housing irregular migrants to impose (i) Public Space Protection Orders and (ii) Community Protection Notices around (A) hotels, (B) schools and (C) other public spaces.

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

It is for each relevant agency to decide how best to effectively implement PSPOs and CPNs in their local areas depending on the specific circumstances they are dealing with. The Home Office has published statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of those powers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to use (a) section 24(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) section 2 of the Asylum & Immigration Act 2004 to stop people entering the country via small boats.

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

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 amended Section 24(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971, to introduce tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the United Kingdom (UK) illegally or found to be facilitating illegal immigration.

Since the Act came into force on 28 June 2022, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams have pursued a number of suspects for offences brought in under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

For example, in the current calendar year to 18 November 2024, 53 individuals identified as small boat pilots have been convicted under the Act.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has commissioned public opinion polling on irregular migration in the last five years.

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

Contracts are in place for polling on a range of Home Office policy areas, including irregular migration.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to her Department on (a) universal credit and (b) Jobcentre Plus were translated by language code in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to her Department was for each type of call in the same period.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The tables attachment shows the volume of calls translated by language code since 2021 together with the associated costs. Please note, this information is not available for the last 10 years and also the data is not available by (a) universal credit or (b) JobCentre Plus.

The data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of providing security services to hotels used for housing irregular migrants was in each year since 2018.

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

Security for asylum accommodation is part of the service requirements that are provided by the Home Office accommodation providers under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC). The HO does not publish a breakdown of costs by individual elements of the AASC service - and could only do so at disproportionate cost

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November to Question 14345 on Undocumented Migrants, if she will make it her policy to publish data on the number of asylum seekers for whom her Department does not have an address.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the Answer I gave on 27 November to his Question UIN 15076.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many complaints to his Department from farmers there were in each of the last five years.

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

Records of complaints categorised by the occupation of the complainant are not held by the department. Obtaining the information would incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to help determine the ages of irregular migrants.

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

Where an individual claims to be a child without any documentary evidence, and where there is reason to doubt their claimed age, immigration officers are required to make an initial age decision to determine whether the individual should be treated as a child or an adult. This is an important first step to prevent individuals who are clearly an adult or child from being subjected unnecessarily to a more substantive age assessment and ensure that individuals are swiftly routed to the correct process.

Current guidance provides that immigration officers may only treat that individual as an adult where that individual has no credible and clear documentary evidence proving their age, and two members of Home Office staff assess that their physical appearance and demeanour very strongly suggests that the individual is ‘significantly over 18.’

Where that threshold is not met, but there remains doubt about the individual’s age, they will be treated as a child, and transferred to a local authority for further consideration of their age. This often involves a further, more comprehensive age assessment if deemed necessary. This approach to initial decisions on age has been considered by the Supreme Court in BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2021] UKSC 38 and held to be lawful.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of food provided in canteens in his Department that is produced in the UK.

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

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what proportion of days is (a) meat and (b) dairy available in canteens in his Department.

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

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the proportion of energy used by his Department, broken down by energy source.

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

The Department collects data on its energy use, broken down by energy source, and reports this to Defra on a quarterly basis as part of the Greening Government Commitments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average height is of male asylum seekers recorded via the National Child Measurement Programme.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a mandatory public health function of local authorities, and it collects data on the weight status of children aged four to five years old, or those in Reception, and 10 to 11 years old, or those in Year 6. The data is used both nationally and locally to inform child health and obesity policy planning and commissioning.

Data on asylum seeker status is not collected in the NCMP. Data on average height of male asylum seekers in England is not available. The height data for boys is measured in the NCMP. The following table shows the average height of boys aged five and 11 years old in the academic year 2023 to 2024:

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many irregular migrants were arrested in Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last five years.

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

This data is not held centrally, and could only be at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers have formally raised concern about the age of irregular migrant students in each of the last five years.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Concerns of this nature would be raised with the individual local authority children’s services team which has responsibility for the unaccompanied asylum-seeking child, therefore the department does not hold data on this.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) introduce more thorough age assessments for irregular migrants and (b) reassess the age of all 16-17 year old irregular migrants in the UK.

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

I refer the Honourable member to the answer I gave on 22^nd October to question UIN 9190.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that women can only be strip-searched by British Transport Police officers who were female at birth.

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

The British Transport Police (BTP) is operationally independent. Chief Constables must ensure that their force policies comply with all legal obligations, including under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and Equalities Act 2010.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many test results have been translated into languages other than English for each of the last five years.

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

The Department does not hold the requested information centrally. Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging National Health Service healthcare services to meet the needs of their respective populations, which includes translation services.

The Department has no plans to estimate the average additional time taken during appointments for translation and interpretation.

The Department also has no plans to collect information on the proportion and cost of letters posted by the NHS in each language over the last five years, for which interpreting agencies are contracted to provide services to the NHS, the cost of such contracts, or how many test results have been translated into languages other than English for each of the last five years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which interpreting agencies are contracted to provide services to the NHS; and what the cost to the public purse of those contracts is.

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

The Department does not hold the requested information centrally. Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging National Health Service healthcare services to meet the needs of their respective populations, which includes translation services.

The Department has no plans to estimate the average additional time taken during appointments for translation and interpretation.

The Department also has no plans to collect information on the proportion and cost of letters posted by the NHS in each language over the last five years, for which interpreting agencies are contracted to provide services to the NHS, the cost of such contracts, or how many test results have been translated into languages other than English for each of the last five years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November to Question 14376 on Health Services: Translation Services, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of (a) GP and (b) outpatient appointments conducted in a language other than English and British Sign Language.

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

The Department has not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the cost of translation and interpretation services incurred by general practices (GPs).

The Department has also not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of GP and outpatient appointments conducted in a language other than English and British Sign Language.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2024 to Question 14197 on General Practitioners: Translation Services, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the cost of translation and interpretation services incurred by GPs.

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

The Department has not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the cost of translation and interpretation services incurred by general practices (GPs).

The Department has also not made, and has no plans to make, an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of GP and outpatient appointments conducted in a language other than English and British Sign Language.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15631 on NHS: Translation services, which languages e-RS letters sent in 2024-25 were translated into.

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

Please see the list below which outlines the languages which e-Referral Service letters sent in 2024/25 were translated into:

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of letters posted by the NHS were in each language in each of the last five years; and what the cost of translation was for those letters.

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

The Department does not hold the requested information centrally. Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging National Health Service healthcare services to meet the needs of their respective populations, which includes translation services.

The Department has no plans to estimate the average additional time taken during appointments for translation and interpretation.

The Department also has no plans to collect information on the proportion and cost of letters posted by the NHS in each language over the last five years, for which interpreting agencies are contracted to provide services to the NHS, the cost of such contracts, or how many test results have been translated into languages other than English for each of the last five years.

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 estimate of the average additional time taken during the appointments for (a) translation and (b) interpretation.

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

The Department does not hold the requested information centrally. Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging National Health Service healthcare services to meet the needs of their respective populations, which includes translation services.

The Department has no plans to estimate the average additional time taken during appointments for translation and interpretation.

The Department also has no plans to collect information on the proportion and cost of letters posted by the NHS in each language over the last five years, for which interpreting agencies are contracted to provide services to the NHS, the cost of such contracts, or how many test results have been translated into languages other than English for each of the last five years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of full-time translation and interpretation staff working in the NHS; what externally-provided translation and interpretation services are available in the NHS; and if he will publish (a) a list of the providers and (b) the cost to the public purse for those services.

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

The Department is unable to provide a response about the number of full-time translation and interpretation staff working in the National Health Service, because the data is not held centrally. Information on the externally provided translation and interpretation services used by the NHS, as well as the list of providers they used, can be found in the following provider frameworks:

¾ the Crown Commercial Service, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6141;

¾ the ESPO Language Services, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.espo.org/language-services-402-24.html;

¾ the NHS London Procurement Partnership Language Services Framework, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.lpp.nhs.uk/categories/estates-facilities-corporate-services/language-services-framework/; and

¾ the NHS Shared Business Services Interpretation and Translation Services Framework, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.sbs.nhs.uk/services/framework-agreements/interpretation-and-translation-services/.

Information on the amount spent under each of these frameworks is 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 GP appointments were attended by irregular migrants in each year since 2018.

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

Primary care services delivered by general practitioners and nurses are free for all in England. Therefore, the migration status of individuals is not recorded, as it is not relevant to the care provided, or in relation to cost recovery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentist appointments were attended by irregular migrants in each year since 2018.

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

We do not hold data on how many dental appointments were attended by irregular migrants each year since 2018. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults against prison staff foreign national offenders committed in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This information is unavailable.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on asylum seekers visiting their country of origin whilst still resident in the UK.

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

Claimants whose asylum claim has not been decided are not permitted to leave the UK without permission, for example to visit their country of origin, until their claim has been concluded. If they do so, their claim may be withdrawn under the Immigration Rules.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15043 on Social Security Benefits: Overpayments, what the reason was for the increases in Monetary Value of Fraud and Error between FYE 20 and FYE 21.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department published a detailed account of its understanding of the reasons for the increase in overpayments in its Annual Report and Accounts for 2020/21.

HC 422 – Department for Work and Pensions – Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November to Question 13915 on Protective Clothing: Storage, if he will publish a breakdown of where personal protective equipment that is unsuitable for NHS use is stored.

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

Since April 2022, operational management of pandemic era personal protective equipment (PPE) has been carried out by the NHS Supply Chain. They report that PPE considered unsuitable for use in the National Health Service is currently held at the following locations prior to exit from the system, as per data from the end of November 2024:

• containerised stock is currently in Hartlepool and Tadcaster; and
• palletised stock is currently held in Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ambulance visits there were to (a) hotels and (b) other accommodation housing irregular migrants in the most recent year for which information is available.

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

The Department does not hold the information requested.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many private provider contracts have been commissioned by the NHS to treat irregular migrants in each of the last ten years; and what the cost to the public purse was of those contracts.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 November 2024 to Question 14728.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the planned cost to the public purse is of leasing the military base in Diego Garcia from Mauritius.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It is not normal practice for the UK to confirm the value of its payments for military bases anywhere across the globe. Whilst the annual 'operating costs' of some bases and training areas may be shared, this is different to the value of payments for military bases. Confirming these costs could put secure operations at risk. Following Treaty signature, further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny in the usual way.

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 potential merits of allowing (a) family and (b) friends to provide (i) translation and (ii) interpretation during NHS appointments.

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

The General Medical Council’s guidance states that all possible efforts must be made to ensure effective communication with patients. This includes arrangements to meet patients’ communication needs in languages other than English.

Where language is a problem in discussing health matters, NHS England and NHS Scotland’s guidance states that a professional interpreter should always be offered, rather than using family or friends to interpret. Further information on NHS England and NHS Scotland’s guidance is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/guidance-for-commissioners-interpreting-and-translation-services-in-primary-care/

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/interpreting-communication-support-and-translation-national-policy/

Working with professional interpreters will:

- ensure the accuracy and impartiality of interpreting;

- minimise legal risk of misinterpretation of important clinical information, for example informed consent to undergo clinical treatments and procedures;

- minimise safeguarding risk, for example for victims of human trafficking, where the trafficker may introduce themselves as a family member or friend and speak on behalf of the patient;

- allow family members and friends to attend appointments and support the patient, emotionally and with decision-making, without the added pressure of needing to interpret; and

- foster trust with the patient.

It is also inappropriate to use children as interpreters. An interpreter should also be present in all situations where there are concerns about child safety or gender-based violence, and language translation is required.

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 estimate of the cost to the public purse of training to raise awareness of the role of interpreting within the NHS.

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

The provision of interpretation services is the responsibility of the service provider. There is no national programme for training to raise awareness of interpreting within the National Health Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 15631 on NHS: Translation Services , what the reason was for the change in the number of e-RS letters sent out in (a) 2019/20 and (b) 2020/21.

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

The main reason for the change in the number of e-Referral Service (e-RS) letters sent out in 2019/20 and 2020/21 was the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced the number of referrals being created in the National Health Service e-RS. In addition, in early 2020, NHS England halved the number of e-RS letters sent to patients where their referral was considered Routine, as it had not been classified as either Urgent or for Suspected Cancer.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 11414 on Undocumented Migrants: Crimes of Violence, if she will make it her policy to publish data on (a) recorded incidents of assault against her Department's staff and (b) a breakdown of the immigration status of the perpetrators of such assaults.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 27 November to question UIN 15076.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) the Prime Minister and (ii) his staff since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As was the practice under the previous Government, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was paid to thebigword by all Departments in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

All Government Departments are responsible for determining their own requirements for language services and ensuring these deliver good value for money for the taxpayer.

Details on how much is paid to individual suppliers, including thebigword, is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) her and (ii) staff in her office since 5 July 2024.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor and her Private Office staff have completed three international trips since 5 July 2024.

Further details for international flights will be published in the usual way in due course on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of people who took an English for Speakers of Other Languages class claimed Universal Credit in the last 12 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of the provision of those classes in the same period.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and is therefore not readily available.

The department does hold data on the number of people who took an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualification, but this only includes learners funded through the adult skills fund (ASF), therefore excluding learners in devolved areas and those who studied ESOL courses funded through tailored learning. In 2023/24 145,730 people studied an ESOL qualification funded through the ASF.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 13567 on Reoffenders: Foreign Nationals, how many reoffences were committed by foreign national offenders expressed as (a) one to five offences, (b) six to nine offences and (c) each total of reoffences at 10 and above.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Data on the number of adult foreign national reoffenders who have committed 1-5 reoffences, 6-9 reoffences and 10+ reoffences can be found in the attached table.

We refer all foreign national offenders in receipt of custodial sentences to the Home Office. Those sentenced to 12 months, or more are automatically considered for deportation.

Foreign national offenders who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. This will help to manage prison pressures, keep the public safe and reduce crime. We are currently on track to remove more foreign national offenders this year than at any time in recent years and we are working across government to explore the ways we accelerate this work further.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much legal aid was provided to (a) irregular migrants and (b) asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Expenditure data for irregular migrants and asylum seekers across all legal aid schemes is not held centrally.

The Legal Aid Agency publishes information about case volumes and expenditure data for the immigration and asylum category as part of its official statistics.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) air miles and (b) flights he has completed since 5 July 2024.

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

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/desnz-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-meetings-april-to-june-2024

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

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

Information about use of international flights for official overseas Ministerial and senior officials travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Data from 5 July 2024 will be published in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms he has visited since 5 July 2024.

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

Since 5 July the Secretary of State has had frequent engagement with the sector, including; attending the Great Yorkshire Agriculture Show in July 24; visiting a farm and meeting with a group of local farmers in Essex in September 24; meeting with the President of the CLA and speaking at the CLA Annual Conference last week, and; more broadly, continued frequent engagement, particularly with the NFU President Tom Bradshaw.

Furthermore, Minister Zeichner has also spoken with the sector on numerous occasions since 5 July.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vaccines have been administered to irregular migrants in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Primary care services, such as vaccinations, are available and free to all, including people who arrive in the United Kingdom through irregular routes. New arrivals are encouraged to receive a patient health check when they register in primary care, including previous vaccination history.

Vaccination data pertaining to migration status is not collected or published by the Government.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many optician appointments for irregular migrants there were at what cost to the public purse in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The National Health Service is a residency-based system, which means that people who do not live here on a lawful, settled basis must contribute to the cost of their care. However, some of the most vulnerable people arriving in the United Kingdom, including refugees and asylum seekers, do not pay for NHS treatment.

The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities, and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the health care and support they need. All asylum seeker accommodation providers have a duty and requirement to assist people who need it to access the healthcare systems in their local area. The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold information on the services commissioned by the Home Office.

As for any NHS patient, care may be delivered by independent providers as part of the public healthcare system. This does not mean asylum seekers are in receipt of private healthcare.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many visits there were by NHS staff to (a) hotels and (b) other accommodation housing irregular migrants in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The National Health Service is a residency-based system, which means that people who do not live here on a lawful, settled basis must contribute to the cost of their care. However, some of the most vulnerable people arriving in the United Kingdom, including refugees and asylum seekers, do not pay for NHS treatment.

The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities, and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the health care and support they need. All asylum seeker accommodation providers have a duty and requirement to assist people who need it to access the healthcare systems in their local area. The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold information on the services commissioned by the Home Office.

As for any NHS patient, care may be delivered by independent providers as part of the public healthcare system. This does not mean asylum seekers are in receipt of private healthcare.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of reported (a) error and (b) fraud has not been investigated for each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department does not hold the data requested.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings - GOV.UK and here: DWP senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality and meetings - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of her Department's staff have transferred from Work Coach roles to roles assisting irregular migrants with benefits claims.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Irregular migrants cannot access public funds benefits. To access public funds benefits, individuals are required to hold an immigration status which does not prevent them from accessing public funds, which irregular migrants will not hold.

Since irregular migrants do not have access to benefits, DWP staff are unable to support irregular migrants with benefit claims.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an official and voluntary scheme for hon. Members to house (a) asylum seekers and (b) irregular migrants.

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

There are currently no such Government-backed voluntary schemes for housing asylum seekers for any households in the UK, regardless of whether that household contains an MP. It is up to MPs to decide who they might wish to live with - this is not a matter for the Government. This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed. We are determined to restore order to the asylum system and cut the costs of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels over time.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

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

Data on ministers’ overseas travel and on senior civil servants’ business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

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

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here:

Ministers - DBT: ministerial gifts, hospitality, overseas travel and meetings - GOV.UK

Senior Officials - DBT: senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality, and meetings - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of payments of court fines on foreign national offenders were made by benefit payment deductions (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally in the most recent year for figures are available.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much in outstanding court fines for foreign national offenders was written off (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much is outstanding for court fines on foreign national offenders (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) nationally.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held centrally.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

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

Data on Ministers’ overseas travel and on senior civil servants’ business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-hospitality-gifts-meetings-overseas-travel

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what proportion of Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court cases has the defendant required a translator in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the number of court cases that collapsed due to the lack of an available interpreter in (a) Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court and (b) England and Wales in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice does not collate information regarding “collapsed trials” due to the lack of interpreter availability, but the Department does routinely publish data concerning ineffective trials including where the reason is “no interpreter available” as part of the Accredited Official Statistics series Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly. An ineffective trial is a trial that does not go ahead on the scheduled trial date and a further listing is required.

In response to the questions (a) and (b), we confirm the following, based on the above description:

1. There were five ineffective trials where the reason was “no interpreter available” at Great Yarmouth magistrates’ courts in 2023.

2. There were 556 ineffective trials where the reason was “no interpreter available” at all magistrates’ courts in England and Wales in 2023, this accounted for less than 1% of all listed trials in that period.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dsit-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-meetings-april-to-june-2024

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Data on ministers’ overseas travel and on senior civil servants’ business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nio-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-april-to-june-2024.

Information for the period July to October is due for publication shortly and will be available at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?organisations[]=northern-ireland-office&parent=northern-ireland-office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

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

Data on ministers’ overseas travel and on senior civil servants’ business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. The latest publications can be found here:

Home Office: senior officials' business expenses, January 2024 to March 2024 - GOV.UK

Home Office's ministerial travel, April to June 2024 - GOV.UK

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: DLUHC: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, April to June 2024 - GOV.UK, DLUHC: senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality, April to June 2024 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here:

• DfT: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings - GOV.UK
• DfT: senior officials’ business expenses and meetings, April to June 2024 - GOV.UK

Information for the period July to October is due for publication shortly.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish her Department’s response to FOI2024/88818.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As the Freedom of Information (FOI) request, FOI2024/88818, was submitted via WhatDoTheyKnow.com (WDTK), the FOI is already publicly available for anyone to access.

The FOI can be accessed on WDTK via the following link:

Universal Credit access, Refugees (2023) - a Freedom of Information request to Department for Work and Pensions - WhatDoTheyKnow

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Data on ministers' overseas travel and on senior civil servants' business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here and here.