Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not employ any civil servants whose roles are primarily focused on transgender policy, diversity, equity or inclusion.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 November in response to Question 88798.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Data on feasibility studies specifically for projects that did not proceed is not tracked individually. Isolating this would require manual review of large volumes of data, making it impractical to extract reliably without disproportionate effort and cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on how many civil servants are employed to work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

It is estimated that locating and extracting this information would result in disproportionate costs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for the total number of people to enter the UK through the Afghanistan Response Route to date.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The information you have requested is published in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK. Data on the Afghan Response Route (ARR) are published in table Res_01 of the Safe and legal (humanitarian) routes to the UK summary tables, which provides a specific breakdown of ARR arrivals. The latest data is available up to the end of September 2025. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) manages its projects in accordance with the principles of HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money to ensure the effective and efficient use of public funds.

Following a review of departmental records for the last five years, the Northern Ireland Office has no such costs to report.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.

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

There were no transactions (subscription costs or otherwise) identified with LinkedIn as a supplier in the 2024/25 financial year.

The total subscription fees identified for the 2024/25 financial year was £832,046.14. This figure excludes membership of the World Health Organisation which is considered a subscription for accountancy purposes.

The response relates to the core department only and does not include information relating to the department’s arm’s-length bodies.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not hold a central record of feasibility studies undertaken for projects that subsequently did not proceed. Identifying the total cost over the last five years would require manual review of records across multiple directorates, our partner bodies and programmes, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Where appropriate, feasibility work is undertaken as part of standard business‑case development to inform decisions and ensure value for money.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested is not centrally held in an accessible form.

Due to this any response could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

The cost to the public purse is zero as the Department has not undertaken any feasibility studies in the last five years.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

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

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not hold this information centrally. The information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Feasibility studies are an essential tool to avoid committing funds to unsuitable projects and their use is considered as part of routine project management.

As this is not centrally held, it is not possible to provide this information without incurring disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade does not maintain central records of feasibility study costs for projects that did not proceed.

The information requested is not held in a format that would allow us to provide a comprehensive answer. To collate this information would require a manual search of records across multiple directorates and business units covering a five-year period, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

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

Feasibility studies are a routine part of the Department’s approach to assessing potential transport projects, and the associated costs are managed within individual programme budgets rather than held in a single collated dataset. These studies are conducted across a wide range of programmes, and where work does not lead to a project progressing, the expenditure remains part of normal project development activity. Producing a total figure for feasibility studies undertaken over the past five years for projects that did not proceed would therefore require a disproportionate manual review of programme‑level records.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The information requested is not held as we do not track costs in this way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost to the public purse is of the Afghanistan Response Route to date.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out previously, as of July 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) assessed the total cost of the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) to be approximately £400 million. The Department anticipates a further £450 million in forecasted expenditure related to ARR resettlement activity, bringing the projected overall cost of the ARR scheme to £850 million.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The AGO does not employ any Civil Servants whose role primarily focusses on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office has not conducted any feasibility studies within the time period, as such there has been no cost to the public purse.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

There are currently fewer than 5 members of HM Treasury staff who work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion. We do not hold this information for previous years.

Where the number of individuals is fewer than five, as is the case here, to provide an exact figure and the additional details requested would constitute the disclosure of personal data.

The first data protection principle requires the disclosure of third-party personal data to be lawful, fair and transparent. Releasing the information would breach the first data protection principle, since it would be unlawful and unfair to release the information.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We cannot provide the number and salary of staff who are employed in roles primarily focussed on a combination of diversity, equity and inclusion. Doing so would breach the Data Protection Act and risk identifying individual members of staff because the data is concerning five or less employees, and the information relates to someone other than the data subjects.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - 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 for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

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

There are no roles in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero primarily focussed on transgender policy. The Department has fewer than five staff in roles primarily focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The total annual salary cost is in the range of £163,800 - £183,500.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In DSIT we have no colleagues in roles which are primarily focused on transgender policy. We have one colleague who is our Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion they are a Grade 7.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence does not routinely collate information on specific words contained within role descriptions; collating this information would come at disproportionate cost.

The Department’s accounts are published annually and made public; there are no plans to provide a further breakdown of the data to include, among other things, an estimate of expenditure relating to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has less than 5 civil servants who work in roles primarily focused on those areas internally in the department. We cannot provide annual salary cost details in such cases as that disclosure of the information would contravene principle A under article 5(1)(a) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.

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

The information requested is not held in this format in the Department’s accounts system and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Department will make an estimate of the current UK population based on food consumption data.

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

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question’s of 22nd January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Department will make an estimate of the current UK population based on waste disposal.

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

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question’s of 22nd January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Department will make an estimate of the current UK population based on water usage data.

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

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question’s of 22nd January is attached.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The department has 5 or less roles that are primarily focused on Equality, diversity and inclusion. The combined annual salary of these roles is £135,153.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total annual cost of interpretation and translation services for asylum seekers in each of the last three years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department took in 2025 to help support scrutiny by (a) the Public Accounts Committee and (b) other hon. Members of the (i) costs and (ii) service content of asylum accommodation contracts; and whether any data was withheld.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has published details of the AASC contracts, including the Statement of Requirements which gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of this can be found here: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

Information on asylum expenditure is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.

In addition, the Home Office and Ministers have provided written and oral evidence about asylum support and accommodation to the Home Affairs Select Committee and to the Public Accounts Committee - copies and transcripts are available from the Committees’ websites.

Data and information related to commercially sensitive information, performance management and other confidential aspects of the contracts and services are withheld to protect the commercial and legal position of the Home Office and its contracted Providers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on (a) recreational activities, (b) leisure provision and (c) community engagement activities for migrants who arrived in the UK illegally by (i) provider and (ii) type of activity in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office holds a contract with Changing Lives Ltd, now operating as Simply Active Group CIC, for the provision of a structured programme of recreational activity at Wethersfield. The contract commenced on 26 August 2024 and is scheduled to end on 19 February 2026.

The original contract can be viewed on Contracts Finder: Recreational Activity Provision - Contracts Finder.

The Home Office does not pay its Accommodation Providers to deliver recreational activities across the estate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on security provision at hotels and other accommodation sites housing migrants who arrived in the UK illegally by contractor, region, and cost per site in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on cleaning, maintenance and repair services at hotel and contingency accommodation sites by supplier and cost per (a) room and (b) site in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on (a) food provision, by dietary requirement and (b) catering by (i) supplier and (ii) cost per person per day for migrants who arrived in the UK illegally who are housed in (A) hotels and (B) other accommodation sites in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on (a) laundry services, including contracted laundries, (b) on-site services and (c) reimbursements by (i) supplier and (ii) accommodation site type in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to publish in full the service specifications, unit prices, and key performance indicators attached to asylum accommodation contracts that operated in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office’s asylum contracts are publicly available on Contracts Finder. Copies of the contracts, including redactions, are available at the below links.

Commercially sensitive information (including pricing details) and information related to performance management of services (including service credits) are redacted to allow the Home Office to obtain maximum value during the lifetime of its contracts.

The Home Office has no current plans to publish any further information related to its asylum contracts, other than the information already publicly available.

Information on the requested contracts is available below:

Serco - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder

Mears - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder

CRH - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder

CTM -CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder, Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder

PFS - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder

Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder

Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder

British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder

thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder

VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of her Department's asylum accommodation contract terms and schedules relating to services and unit costs were redacted; and on what grounds those redactions were made.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office’s asylum contracts are publicly available on Contracts Finder. Copies of the contracts, including redactions, are available at the below links.

Commercially sensitive information (including pricing details) and information related to performance management of services (including service credits) are redacted to allow the Home Office to obtain maximum value during the lifetime of its contracts.

The Home Office has no current plans to publish any further information related to its asylum contracts, other than the information already publicly available.

Information on the requested contracts is available below:

Serco - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder

Mears - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder

CRH - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder

CTM -CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder, Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder

PFS - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder

Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder

Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder

British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder

thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder

VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels and other accommodation sites were used for illegal migrant accommodation in 2025; and what the average occupancy was across those sites.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

At its peak under the previous government, around 400 hotels were used to accommodate asylum seekers – costing £9 million per day. That figure is now under 200 - the government remains committed no longer using hotels to accommodate asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.

The Home Office does not publish data on the utilisation of asylum accommodation. We aim to utilise our estate as fully as possible, however, as with all types of accommodation properties may be temporarily vacant for a variety of operational reasons, including the need for maintenance or refurbishment work, or while awaiting allocation to new occupants following the departure of previous residents.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost was of services provided (a) within and (b) alongside hotel accommodation in 2025 by provider and contract.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not report and hold data at this granularity, including by method of arrival, and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of this can be found here: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the: Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the spend was on private healthcare services provided to illegal migrants housed in hotels and other accommodation in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Healthcare for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation including hotels and large, former military, sites is provided through the NHS in line with national guidance for newly arrived migrants.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost was of providing accommodation in hotels and other contingency accommodation to illegal migrants in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We do not report and hold data at this granularity, including by method of arrival, and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of this can be found here: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the: Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on translation and interpretation services provided to migrants who arrived in the UK illegally who are in hotels and other accommodation by provider and language in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the cost to the public purse of translation and interpretation services by her Department for asylum seekers in Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last five years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

There are no roles primarily focused on transgender policy.

Within central HR there are 18 roles primarily focused on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) - a total of 16.06 FTE.

The total aggregate annual salary cost based on the latest reporting period for Jan 25/26 is: £918,348.60.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department currently employs three civil servants in roles focused on diversity,

equity and inclusion. Following a review of all job titles across the department, we can confirm that there are no roles whose primary focus is transgender policy.

Within the central human resources diversity and inclusion team, staffing aligns with standard departmental grading structures for the 2025/26 financial year. The team includes:

• One fifth of a Grade 6 role (0.2 FTE). This role is included for transparency, as it carries senior oversight of the team’s work alongside wider responsibilities. The salary range for this grade is £74,528 to £82,869.
• Half of a Grade 7 role (0.5 FTE). The salary range for this grade is £58,185 to £67,219.
• One Senior Executive Officer role (1 FTE). The salary range for this grade is £46,971 to £51,973.

Information on roles and salaries for members of the department and its arm's length bodies

is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disclosure-of-scs-posts-and-salary-information.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on (a) legal advice and (b) other support services for migrants who arrived in the UK illegally who are in accommodation by contract in 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold the requested data on the provision of legal advice. Asylum seekers may be eligible for legal aid, which is administered by the Legal Aid Agency in the Ministry of Justice.

Regarding other services, the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) Statement of Requirements provides a detailed breakdown of all services that accommodation providers must deliver, along with the standards expected of them. The full document is available here:

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure, including services such as AASC and AIRE, within its Annual Report and Accounts. These can be found on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.

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

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what services were contracted and delivered on-site within hotels housing illegal migrants in 2025, including medical services, transport, catering, security, and welfare support.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office holds nine contracts for the provision of asylum accommodation and support services across the UK. Information related to these contracts, including the services delivered under them, is publicly available at the links below.

Hotel accommodation is managed directly by the contracted providers. Services delivered on-site typically include food and catering, laundry, security, and basic welfare support. These services are provided to ensure safe and suitable living conditions for asylum seekers and to help manage pressures on local authorities and public services while individuals await a decision on their claim.

Serco

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder

Mears

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder

CRH

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder

AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder

CTM

CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder

Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of marriages between cousins that have taken place in the UK in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The number of marriages between relatives, mainly cousins, is not a data set that is collected and the Government therefore cannot give an estimate.

The Office for National Statistics publishes marriage statistics derived from information recorded at the point of marriage registration in England and Wales. This includes data about age, sex, previous marital status and whether the ceremony was civil or religious, but not whether the parties were related.

Treatment of fathers in family court

Public inquiry into Epstein links

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe

Found: My sense is— Rupert Lowe: But what do you think?

Found: Warrington South) Lloyd Hatton (Labour; South Dorset) Chris Kane (Labour; Stirling and Strathallan) Rupert Lowe

Found: present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah Green; Lloyd Hatton; Rupert Lowe

Found: present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah Green; Lloyd Hatton; Rupert Lowe