Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether each of the armed forces has diversity targets.

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

The Armed Forces do not have diversity targets. There are agreed Levels of Ambition for recruitment and representation of females and ethnic minority personnel.

In a competitive age, our advantage derives from the talent and skills of our people. We must attract, recruit, and retain the best people drawn from the broadest diversity of thought, skills and background – it is mission critical to our operational effectiveness and to ensuring we continue to meet the threats we face and safeguard the security, stability and prosperity of our nation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for her Department was in each of the last five years.

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

The table below shows the Average Speed of Answer and Total Hold Time for all people calling DWP for the last 5 business years, with 2024 to 2025 being to 20^th Oct’ 2024* only, that being the last date for which data is available.

*To date

Please note, the data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use. The figures provided may therefore be subject to retrospective change and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many crimes were committed by undocumented migrants by each crime committed in each year since 2018.

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

The information requested is not available from published statistics.

Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.

Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more. A foreign national who has been convicted of an offence that has caused serious harm, who is a persistent offender or who represents a threat to national security may also be considered for deportation under the Immigration Act 1971, where it is conducive to the public good.

We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation, and they will be swiftly removed from the country.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance is available to Local Planning Authorities on lowering house building targets.

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

In our recent consultation on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we proposed making the standard method for assessing housing needs mandatory, requiring local authorities to plan for the resulting housing need figure, planning for a lower figure only when they can demonstrate hard constraints and that they have exhausted all other options

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for HMRC was in each of the last five years.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

The definition of ‘average speed of answering a customer’s call’ is the average time spent waiting in the queue for an adviser. This is time that the customer finished listening to HMRC’s automated messages and completed their selection from HMRC’s automated menu to the time when they get to speak to an adviser.

The below table shows the amount of time people spent on hold with HMRC – this is when a call has been answered by an adviser and the individual has subsequently been put on hold. The data covers the last five years, broken down by quarter:

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of people who are not UK citizens that are on a waiting list for (a) social and (b) council housing (i) in the UK and (ii) for Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

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

The department will publish information on the number of households on the housing register in England by nationality of lead tenant alongside the Social Housing Lettings 2023-24 statistical release on 5 December 2024. The department has not previously collected this data.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of irregular migrants who claim to be under 18 have undergone age assessments since 2018; and how many and what proportion of those assessed were found to be 18 or over.

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 age disputes raised and resolved is published in table Asy_D05 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’.

The latest data relates to year ending June 2024. Note that the age disputes in Asy_D05 relate to people who have claimed asylum and will include people who did not arrive in the UK irregularly.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to maintain relations with the (a) Republican and (b) Democrat (i) candidate and (ii) Party (A) during and (B) after the US Presidential election.

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

The US is an indispensable ally. Our special relationship is crucial for security and prosperity and transcends whatever political parties and individuals are in office across and at all levels of the US system, from the White House to Congress and at State level. It is a core part of the FCDO's work to engage individuals from across the US political spectrum, including the Presidential campaigns. We have shared values and interests and will continue to work with the US on issues including economic co-operation, defence, intelligence and as key NATO allies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff (a) were dismissed and (b) resigned due to mandatory Covid-19 vaccination regulations.

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

No National Health Service staff were dismissed due to the regulations requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment. Those regulations were revoked before they came into force. The information requested on resignations is not held by the Department.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to allow independent lifeboat services to use (a) blue lights and (b) sirens on public highways.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ministers are giving consideration to this matter. An update will be provided in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is the Minister taking to reduce the impact from cyclists using (a) strobe and (b) flashing lights on (i) motorists and (ii) other road users.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Standards for the fitment and use of bicycle lights are set out in the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 as amended.

Front and rear flashing lights are only permitted on bicycles provided they do not cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users, have a constant flashing frequency of 1 to 4 hertz and, if they are the only lights fitted, an intensity of not less than four candelas.

Enforcement of road traffic law is generally an operational matter for individual police forces and their officers can issue verbal warnings or fixed penalty notices, or report riders for formal prosecution.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to support local bus services in Great Yarmouth Constituency.

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

Improving local bus services is a key part of this government’s growth mission, and the government has set out plans to deliver better bus services, grow passenger numbers and drive opportunity to under-served regions.

As announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the government will introduce a Buses Bill later this session. This will put the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders right across England, including in Great Yarmouth, to ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will seek to increase the powers available to local leaders to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, high-quality partnerships with private operators or local authority ownership.

In addition, the government has confirmed an additional £925 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, bringing total bus investment at the Budget to over £1 billion. Local authorities can use the £925 million to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

The government will continue working closely with local transport authorities including Norfolk County Council, and others, to deliver better bus and public transport services throughout England.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department have experience in farming.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the number of irregular migrants that entered the UK via the English Channel whose whereabouts are no longer known.

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

On a daily basis, the Home Office publishes data on the number of small boats crossing the Channel that have been involved in uncontrolled landings. The latest such publication, and a time series dating back to 2018, can be found at: Small boat activity in the English Channel - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many drivers were caught driving without (a) a valid MOT, (b) car tax, (c) car insurance and (d) a driving licence by nationality in each of the last five years.

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

The Home Office does not hold all of the information requested.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of its annual ‘Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales’ statistical release. The latest data is available here: Other PACE powers, year ending March 2023 (second edition) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and covers the calendar year ending December 2022.

Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued and other outcomes for “Driving licence-related offences”, “Vehicle insurance offences” and “Operator’s licence offences” is provided in table FPN_03 of the motoring offences data tables, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b7ae3cc5aacc0013a68463/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-dec-2022.ods.

Information on “Miscellaneous motoring offences (excluding seat belt offences)” is also provided in table FPN_03 although it is not possible to break these offences down further.

The Home Office does not hold information on the specific offences of driving without a valid MOT or car tax.

Data on the nationality of driver’s licenses is not centrally held by the Home Office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a breakdown of crimes committed on the transport network by (a) nationality and (b) category of crime in each of the last five years.

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

It is currently not possible to separately identify all crimes committed on the transport network but the Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of crimes recorded by the British Transport Police that occurred in England and Wales. The BTP is responsible for policing the railway network, London Underground, the Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink and the Midland Metro.

Data on the number of crimes recorded by BTP for each of the last five years broken down by offence type, is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Information on the nationality of offenders is not routinely collected.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many irregular migrants have landed in (a) Norfolk and (b) Great Yarmouth constituency since 2018.

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

On a daily basis, the Home Office publishes data on the number of small boats crossing the Channel that have been involved in uncontrolled landings. The latest such publication, and a time series dating back to 2018, can be found at the following link:

Statistics relating to Illegal Migration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We do not hold data in an easily accessible format for the number of these boats to arrive in Norfolk or in the Great Yarmouth Constituency.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many habitual residence tests have been granted in each year of the last five years.

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

With the exception of Universal Credit, the information requested is not held centrally for the relevant DWP benefits and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

DWP uses the habitual residence test for income-related benefits (Universal Credit, State Pension Credit and Housing Benefit) to assess whether customers have a legal right to reside in the UK and whether they are factually habitually resident in the UK, as required in legislation. The habitual residence test is designed to prevent access to the welfare system for those who are not eligible and do not have an intention to live and/or work in the UK, ensuring both fairness in accessing public funds and that only those eligible are able to access benefits. All claimants must meet the requirements of the habitual residence test, including British citizens returning from periods of time living abroad, unless they are part of an exempt group as laid out in legislation (such as those fleeing specific humanitarian crises abroad specified in relevant secondary legislation).

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of the hotels housing irregular migrants, broken down by star rating; and if he will provide the number of irregular migrants in each hotel.

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).

For the safety and security of the asylum seekers accommodated and staff, the Home Office does not publish the location of accommodation sites.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a breakdown of the sex offenders register by nationality.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Qualifying sex offenders are required to notify their personal details to the police. This system is often referred to as the ‘sex offenders’ register’ and requires offenders to provide their local police station with a record of (amongst other things) their: name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. This is done annually and whenever their details change.

The notification requirements are an automatic consequence of a conviction or caution for an offence in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

All sex offenders subject to the notification requirements are managed under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA), a statutory arrangement requiring the police, probation and prison services in each local criminal justice area to assess and manage the risks posed by individuals convicted of certain offences.

The Ministry of Justice publishes annual MAPPA statistics. The most recent statistics (published 31 October 2024) showed there were 70,052 sex offenders (known as category 1 offenders) managed under MAPPA on 31 March 2024. The MAPPA annual statistics does not include a breakdown of category 1 offenders by nationality. That data is not centrally collected.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners released under the early release scheme have been rearrested since September 2024.

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

Reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics.

Prisoners released on SDS40 will be subject to licence and liable to recall to prison if they do not comply or are judged a risk to public safety.

Data on recall and reoffending of prisoners released since September 2024 forms a subset of data intended for future publication.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the funding criteria for coastal defences in Hemsby, and if he will visit Hemsby.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is the responsible risk management authority for coastal erosion at Hemsby. The shoreline management approach for Hemsby’s coastline is managed realignment, as outlined in the Shoreline Management Plan which has been developed locally by the East Anglia Coastal Group and included consultation with the community.

We must also be mindful of the negative impacts of defence solutions on neighbouring coastal communities where erosion can be exacerbated. This was highlighted in the Shoreline Management Plan for the area where this is a major driver for the longer-term managed realignment policy.

Under the inherited approach to investing in flood schemes, Grant in Aid investment at Hemsby is challenging due to high costs associated with the technical aspects of providing protection to an actively eroding sand dune. This means that the benefit cost ratio for investment is likely to be marginal and most typical engineering options, with assured benefits, are likely to be uneconomic to deliver.

In opposition, we said we would look at the funding formula for flood schemes. It remains our intention to do this, to ensure flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face both now and in the future. We are examining all use of flood defence resources to ensure that the Government maximises safety from potential flooding within the difficulty financial legacy the country was left by the previous government.

I regret Ministers currently have no availability to visit the Honourable Member's constituency at this time but will keep his invitation in mind.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were prosecuted for the non-payment of a TV licence fee in each of the last three years.

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

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

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of quantitative easing on inflation.

Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Bank of England has operational independence from the government to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability. Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England.

The government remains committed to monetary policy independence, and rightly does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

The Bank of England regularly conducts and publishes analysis on the inflationary impact of its monetary policy, including quantitative easing and quantitative tightening.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has been spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for people contacting her Department in each of the last five years.

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

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are claiming the enhanced mobility component of the personal independence payment by each eligible health condition.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department regularly publishes Personal Independence Payment (PIP) statistics. The 'PIP Cases with Entitlement' dataset on Stat-Xplore, which contains the number of people entitled to PIP by mobility award status and health condition, has been suspended due to technical issues which are adversely affecting the Stat-Xplore site itself. This data series will be re-instated as soon as this issue has been resolved. The ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset is unaffected and provides the number of people who were awarded PIP, by mobility award status and health condition, each month from April 2013 to July 2024.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how often her Department reviews the eligibility of foreign nationals for (a) Universal Credit and (b) other benefits.

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

In order to receive taxpayer-funded benefits (public funds benefits) such as Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payments, an individual must either be a British or Irish citizen or hold a valid UK immigration status that allows them to access such benefits. Whether someone holds a valid immigration status or is a British or Irish citizen is tested at the outset of a customer’s claim through DWP residency tests and verified through information from the Home Office.

If a foreign national customer reports a change of circumstances which could affect their eligibility for benefits, or DWP is made aware of such a change in circumstances by another government department (such as the Home Office), then the relevant claim will be reviewed and a decision made accordingly. This includes, for example, if a customer’s immigration status changes and they no longer have recourse to public funds – in which case, their claim will be closed. If a customer has a time-limited immigration status which allows them access to public funds benefits then this will be marked on the claim and checked accordingly in future to ensure they are still eligible to receive benefits.

For DWP contributory benefits, customers will need to satisfy other eligibility criteria such as having sufficient employment periods and national insurance contributions. For a customer to have been employed and therefore meet the contributory benefits criteria, a valid National Insurance number is required, meaning their identity and valid immigration status will have been verified separately.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with local authorities on tackling youth unemployment in Great Yarmouth constituency.

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

Our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work in their local area. This will sit alongside; a new national jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, and work health and skills plans for the economically inactive, to open new opportunities for young people. We will set out further detail in the upcoming Labour Market White Paper.

The department recognises that the needs of young people will vary depending on where they live and their own individual circumstances. The broad national reach of Jobcentres and its network of Partnership Managers means the Department for Work and Pensions is in regular contact with local stakeholders including working closely with Local Authorities.

This joint working approach is at the core of the Department for Work and Pensions Youth Offer. A recent example of collaboration in Great Yarmouth includes a multi-agency Great Yarmouth Skills Taskforce involving the Jobcentre and stakeholders from Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Norfolk County Council, East Coast College and the Universities of East Anglia and Suffolk in tandem with training providers such as Access Community Enterprises, business and community organisations. The immediate focus is on youth to support to entry and progression in the labour market.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of immigration on the road system.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department models future demand for road transport based on Office for National Statistics population forecasts, which include changes in population arising from immigration and other demographic change. Furthermore, the Department’s Common Analytical Scenarios consider futures that include high or low immigration to enable future uncertainty to be taken into account.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for the DVLA was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The table below provides the average waiting time, over the last five years, for someone who calls the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to be connected to an advisor. Please note that the figures for the various years are not directly comparable as the DVLA has moved to a new telephony platform which allows them to manage customer demand in different ways.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the staff turnover rate in his Department was in each of the last five years.

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

Figures are taken from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey for the core department. The data reference point in time is 31 March at each year.

* includes all moves out of the Civil Service over the specified year.

**includes moves between Civil Service departments within the year, in addition to moves included under the Civil Service turnover rate.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff employed by his Department work exclusively on farming issues.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of running a public awareness campaign to remove all COVID signs.

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

No assessment of the merits of running a public awareness campaign to remove all COVID-19 signs has been made.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help improve internet connections in Great Yarmouth constituency.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of people of working age currently out of work.

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

Official statistics for the number of people unemployed and economically inactive are published each month by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS), estimated using the Labour Force Survey.

The ONS headline labour market statistics define working age as between 16 and 64 years old. The latest statistics show 10.61 million people are of working age currently out of work in the UK (June-August 2024) – 1.347 million who are unemployed and 9.263 million who are economically inactive. Of the 9.263 million who are economically inactive, 2.491 million are students and 1.674 million are looking after family/home.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation in the NHS in each of the last five years.

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

The Department does not hold this information. This information will be held by integrated care boards.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation costs in (i) all courts and (ii) Great Yarmouth Magistrates court in each of the last five years.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This question has been interpreted to mean spend for all language services, both translation and interpretation provided in a court setting, and for printed materials available in HMCTS buildings.

Information is not held disaggregated as (a) translation and (b) interpretation but has been provided in total.

The total spend by HMCTS on translation and interpretation in each of the last five financial years was:

These figures do not include any translation or interpretation spend covered by Legal Aid Agency central funds as these are not included in the accounts for HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

It is vital that victims, witnesses and defendants understand what is happening in court to ensure justice is done, and we will always take steps to ensure a qualified interpreter is provided when needed.

The total spend by HMCTS on translation and interpretation for Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court in each of the last five financial years was:

These figures do not include any translation or interpretation spend covered by Legal Aid Agency central funds as these are not included in the accounts for HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much his Department spent on first class flights in each year since its creation.

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

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.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many terrorist plots there have been by the ideology of the perpetrators in each of the last five years.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

On 08 October, DG MI5 gave his latest update on the current national security threats facing the UK.

During his annual threat report, he outlined that since March 2017, MI5 and the police have together disrupted 43 late-stage attack plots.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) translation and (b) interpretation services provided by (a) all police forces and (b) Norfolk Constabulary each year for the previous five years.

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

The Home Office does not hold information relating to the proportion of budgets spent on translation and interpretation services for police forces.

Decisions on how to use funding and resources are an operational matter for Chief Constables.

Police and Crime Commissioners are best placed to make resourcing decisions within their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time was per driving test centre in (a) the UK and (b) Great Yarmouth constituency.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The average waiting time data per driving test centre (DTC) in the UK for September 2024 is contained within the attached document. The table below shows the national average waiting time, and those DTCs that serve the Great Yarmouth constituency.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government's policy is on paying reparations to countries impacted by the UK's historic involvement in slavery.

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

The government's position on this has not changed - we do not pay reparations. We are committed to working with affected countries on the most pressing challenges of today (including security, growth, education, health, climate), and to build partnerships on those areas in the future. We fully recognise the horrific impacts and the understandable, ongoing strength of feeling on the issue across communities in the UK and across the Commonwealth family.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a decision has taken on the rebuild of the James Paget Hospital; and if he will meet the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth to discuss the rebuild.

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

We are reviewing the New Hospital Programme (NHP) to put it on a sustainable footing, including a realistic timetable for delivery and clarity on the funding required.

As set out in the Terms of Reference for the review, along with the six other hospitals that were constructed primarily using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), the new hospital scheme for James Paget Hospital is out of scope of the review into the NHP. The Terms of Reference are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-terms-of-reference/new-hospital-programme-review-terms-of-reference

Work on this scheme will continue at pace due to the critical need to replace James Paget Hospital to protect patient and staff safety.

We will engage with those hon. Members with RAAC hospital schemes in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many spousal visas were rejected in each of the last five years by nationality.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Home Office publishes information on Family-related visas in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), direct link to the Entry clearance (family-related) visa data tables. The statistics relate to applications and outcomes (grants, refusals, lapsed and withdrawn) of entry clearance visas for family reasons, and can be broken down by nationality.

Information on how many partner visas were rejected in each of the last five years, by nationality is available from Table Vis_D02, which can be found within the entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed dataset. The latest data relates to year ending June 2024 (Q2 2024).

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on (a) the number of equality, diversity and inclusion champions and (b) the salary bands of those staff in each NHS trust.

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

The Department does not hold this information centrally. The National Health Service is one of the most diverse organisations in this country and we hugely value the contribution that all staff make to delivering care and supporting patients. We are committed to creating a more inclusive and compassionate culture across the NHS and support the equality, diversity, and inclusion commitments that are in place.

It is the responsibility of NHS organisations to determine the number of equality, diversity, and inclusion roles based on need.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to tackle changes in the level of fertility rates.

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

No specific steps are being taken to make changes in the level of fertility rates. However, the Government will be receiving advice on the provision of National Health Service funded fertility services, and will be considering future policy options shortly.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals claiming Universal Credit have received fit notes for each of the last three financial years.

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

The number of people on Universal Credit in Great Britain who submitted an accepted fit note to the Department for each of the last three financial years is shown in the table below:

Notes:

Numbers are rounded to 10.

Although most will have submitted Statements of Fitness for Work (fit notes), other forms of medical evidence that the Department accepts (e.g. hospital discharge letters) will be included in the totals.

Data is taken from Universal Credit analytical systems but results have not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standard.

The Department regularly publishes Universal Credit Health Journey caseload statistics on Stat-Xplore including the monthly number of people on UC Health with a current fit-note.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of assault there were by irregular migrants against her Department's staff in each year since 2018.

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

As has been the case during successive administrations, this data is not routinely published. We will take every measure possible to keep Home Office Employers safe at work, and any criminality will face the full force of the law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on asylum support in each year since 2018.

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

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

Prior to 2023/24 asylum support costs were not published separately.

The government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly, this includes reviewing all spending to ensure the best value for money for the British taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in their Departmental work outside of the UK; where these staff work; and what the cost is of salaries for these staff.

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

None of the DWP’s employees work outside the UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in their Departmental work outside of the UK; where these staff work; and what the cost is of salaries for these staff.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

a) Total number of HM Treasury employees working overseas as at 30^th October 2024.

51

b) Where these staff work.

• Australian Treasury
• British Embassy, U.A.E.
• Canadian Finance Ministry
• FCDO
• German Finance Ministry
• International Monetary Fund, U.S.
• International Trade, India
• MONEYVAL, Council of Europe, France
• National Institute of Public Service, France
• New Zealand Treasury
• Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, France
• Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, France
• U.S. Treasury
• UK Mission to the EU, Belgium
• World Bank, U.S.

c) Annual salary cost to HM Treasury for these staff

£506,989

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in their Department work outside of the UK; where these staff work; and what the cost is of salaries for these staff.

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

For security reasons, we do not give out figures of how many operational staff are working at a given time or on a specific operational deployment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in their Department work outside of the UK; where these staff work; and what the cost is of salaries for these staff.

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

The Department does not have any staff who work outside of the United Kingdom.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil service staff earned above £100,000 a year in (a) January 2024 and (b) the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

The previous administration did not publish a 2023 list. The Cabinet Office will publish this in due course following the usual process.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants earn (a) over £100,000 and (b) more than the Prime Minister.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

The previous administration did not publish a 2023 list. The Cabinet Office will publish this in due course following the usual process.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the (a) value and (b) volume of coal imported into the UK was in each of the last five years.

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

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

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the average time taken for theft cases to be processed through the courts in each year since 2019.

Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the average duration for various stages of the criminal justice system for defendants by offence group, including theft, from 2014 to 2023 (latest available) in the ‘End-to-end timeliness tool’ as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was paid to the EU in each year since 2021.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK continues to make payments to the EU in relation to the liabilities arising from the period of the UK’s membership under the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement. Between the UK’s departure from the EU on 30th January 2020 and the end of 2023, such payments amounted to £23.8bn (net of assets returned to the UK and estimated receipts to UK beneficiaries from the EU Budget).

Further details of payments are set out are set out in the European Union Finances Statement (EUFS) 2023, available on Gov.uk and in the library of the House. These figures do not include payments to the EU for other purposes such as those in relation to continued UK association to certain EU programmes under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement; such payments are reported in the relevant departments’ annual accounts and as part of normal budgetary disclosures.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of food consumed in the UK that is produced domestically.

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

In 2023, 58% of domestic consumption came from UK production (based on unprocessed value at farmgate), 24% from the European Union and the remaining 18% from the rest of the world. Data for 2024 will be published in Defra's ‘Agriculture in the United Kingdom’ report in mid-2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of emergency calls made by irregular migrants crossing the channel on the basis of information that is later found to be false for each year since 2018.

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

HM Coastguard does not hold information on the number of emergency calls made by irregular migrants crossing the channel on the basis of information that is later found to be false.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of irregular migrants who arrived in the UK since 2020 have (a) previous criminal convictions and (b) subsequently obtained a criminal record.

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

s has been the case for many years, the information requested is not routinely published.

We are committed to delivering justice for victims and safer streets for our communities. Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will pursue their deportation, and they will be swiftly removed from the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent by NHS Trusts on celebrating Pride Month in June (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

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

This information is not collected by NHS England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on (a) external tenders and (b) contracts for (i) translation and (ii) interpretation services in the NHS in each of the last five years.

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

The following table shows the Department’s expenditure against current and expired contracts with external suppliers of translation or interpretation services, in each of the last five financial years:

The majority of this work has been for supporting different initiatives and functions within the National Health Service.

*The significant increase in expenditure was due to additional services required to support the response to Covid-19 in the NHS e.g. at vaccination and testing sites.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation by (i) all NHS Trusts, (ii) James Paget University Hospitals Trust and (iii) the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years.

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

It is important for translation services to be provided so that all patients can access safe healthcare. The Department does not hold this information for all provider trusts; rather it is held by the relevant integrated care boards.

The following table shows how much has been spent on translation and interpretation services by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT):

The following table shows how much has been spent on translation and interpretation services by James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (JPUH):

Notes:

1. The figures provided above are for both translation and interpretation, as they are coded the same on their financial systems.
2. NSFT is unable to provide figures for 2019/2020 due to a change in their financial system meaning they cannot access the records.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent by police forces on celebrating Pride Month in June (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

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

The Home Office does not hold this information.

Decisions on how funding and resources are utilised are an operational matter for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners, who are best placed to make resourcing decisions within their communities based on their local knowledge and experience.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in school in each constituency do not have English as their first language.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The information requested is in the attached table. Data for the proportion and number of children who do not have English as their first language can be found at school level in the school census publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

A pupil is recorded to have English as an additional language if they are exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. This measure is not a measure of English language proficiency nor a good proxy for recent immigration.

As these figures are taken from the January 2024 school census, the Parliamentary constituencies are based on pre-election boundaries. 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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the planned rise in employer's national insurance contributions on businesses.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Raising the revenue required to fix the public finances and restore economic stability requires difficult decisions on tax, which is why we are asking employers to contribute more.

The government will protect the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold. This means that next year, 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance contributions at all and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value was of student loans that were written off in each of the last five years; and what this was as a proportion of all outstanding student loans.

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

The table below shows the amount that has been cancelled or written off during each financial year requested, the total amount outstanding at the start of the financial year including interest and loans not yet due for repayment (after adjustments) and the proportion that write offs or cancellations make out of the starting balance.

The reasons for cancelled or written off loans are the following: death of borrower, age of borrower, disability, trivial balances, losses through fraud (including phishing) and other.

Please note that write-offs do not include trivial balance write-offs. Trivial balance write-offs occur if there is a +/- 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 a trust deed, are no longer allowed against Student Loans balances. Any figures arise from retrospective clear up exercises.

These figures have been taken from Student Loans Company’s Student loans in England publication that 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, and the figures were taken from ‘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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a review into the food labelling system.

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

Defra is in the process of conducting a Post Implementation Review of the Food Information Regulations 2014 and the Country of Origin of Certain Meats Regulations 2015 to assess their success against their origin policy objectives.

Furthermore, we plan to publish a summary of responses to a recent public consultation on fairer food labelling.