Written questions by Goldsborough.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce overcrowding on the secure estate.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis, with prisons running at over 99% capacity and on the brink of total collapse. If our prisons overflowed, police would have been unable to make arrests and we would have faced the total breakdown of law and order. We had to take emergency measures in order avoid disaster. Our priority now is to ensure there is enough capacity in the prison estate in the short and longer term.Our 10-year Prison Capacity strategy published on 11 December sets out plans to deliver 14,000 prison places and maintain the places in our estate to ensure we have sufficient accommodation and explore the acquisition of land should we need to build more prison places.We have also launched an Independent Sentencing Review, chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Review’s aim is to ensure we are never again left in a position where we have more prisoners than places available.The Lord Chancellor also announced a series of measures in October 2024 to manage the pressures on the prison estate until longer term reforms come into effect. This includes reforming our recall practices and an extension of the maximum period offenders can spend on Home Detention Curfew from 6 – 12 months.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that disabled travellers are not discriminated against when using taxi services.

Disabled people should be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity, like anybody else and the Government understands the importance of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) services in making this possible. Consistent with other service providers, under the Equality Act 2010 taxi and PHV drivers, and PHV operators, are prohibited from discriminating against disabled passengers on grounds of disability and must make reasonable adjustments to enable disabled people to access their services. They also have specific duties to accept the carriage of disabled people and not to charge them more than other passengers. We encourage licensing authorities in England to use the government’s best practice guidance document which emphasises the importance of licensing authorities continuing to improve the inclusivity of the taxi and PHV services they regulate. This includes taking effective action in response to alleged discriminatory conduct by drivers and operators and ensuring that drivers and operator staff complete training in disability awareness.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the frequency of rail services for commuters between Norwich and Cambridge.

Greater Anglia continuously reviews passenger numbers and service levels and in collaboration with Network Rail, adjusts timetables where there is the case to do so and where it is possible. In addition, Network Rail is currently carrying out a route study on the capacity and future demand of the rail network in Norfolk, which includes the route between Norwich and Cambridge. This study is expected to provide guidance on future investment and improvements needed to increase service levels.

What steps his Department is taking to provide safety and health screenings for new arrivals to the secure estate.

Every prisoner, whether they are new into prison or have been transferred between establishments, undergoes a health screen upon arrival. This is in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance and covers immediate health problems, which includes identifying mental health or substance misuse issues, and is followed by a referral onto the appropriate health team within the prison estate, if necessary.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many products of animal origin spot checks were undertaken at the (a) Port of Dover, (b) Port of Felixstowe, (c) Port of Liverpool, (d) Port of London, (e) Port of Grimsby and Immingham, (f) Port of Southampton, (g) Port of Tees and Hartlepool, (h) Port of the Forth and (i) Port of Belfast in each of the last five financial years.

Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk. To protect the integrity of this approach, we cannot share granular data on inspections.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of vehicles entering the Port of Dover being under no obligation to attend Sevington Border Control Point if asked to do so on biosecurity.

Consignments called in to Sevington Border Control Post (BCP) for an inspection will have completed the necessary customs declarations and pre-notifications. These goods will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have checked and been cleared by the BCP. If the importer fails to attend, the Port Health staff will commence the necessary action.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on products of animal origin spot checks at the (a) Port of Dover, (b) Port of Felixstowe, (c) Port of Liverpool, (d) Port of London, (e) Port of Grimsby and Immingham, (f) Port of Southampton, (g) Port of Tees and Hartlepool, (h) Port of the Forth and (i) Port of Belfast in each of the last five financial years.

Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk. To protect the integrity of this approach, we cannot share granular data on inspections

Food and Rural Affairs, whether there were any financial implications to the Exchequer of the sale of the White Cliffs Business Park that hosts the Bastion Point Inland Border Facility site on 4 September 2024.

Defra considers this to be commercially sensitive information and therefore may not be released.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of (a) dangerous and (b) illegal meat were intercepted at the (i) Port of Dover, (ii) Port of Felixstowe, (iii) Port of Liverpool, (iv) Port of London, (v) Port of Grimsby and Immingham, (vi) Port of Southampton, (vii) Port of Tees and Hartlepool, (viii) Port of the Forth and (ix) Port of Belfast in each of the last five financial years.

Please see the table below for total seizures of illegal meat, for full year on year. We are unable to provide further levels of detail as we do not release details of the location of seizure; this information could risk undermining border security, by providing intelligence in our resource deployment and targeting. Total seizures for full year on year since 2022 are as follows: 2022 (Sept-Dec)3745kg202344,482kg202492,270kg2025*5,593kg *2025 runs from 3 to 10 January 2025

Food and Rural Affairs, how many times the Timed Out Decision Contingency Feature has been used for medium-risk animal products in each month since February 2024.

Individual Local and Port Health Authorities will hold local data and will be able to identify when the Timed Out Decision Contingency Feature has been used.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 10797 on Inland Border Facilities: Dover, what the operating status is of Bastion Point Border Control Point as of 22 January 2025.

The site at Bastion Point is currently retained in a non-operational state. The Government will explore further options for the site in the future.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many tonnes of (a) dangerous and (b) otherwise illegal meat have been intercepted by the Dover Port Health Authority in each of the last 10 financial years.

Please see the table below for total seizures of illegal meat year on year. The figures quoted are seizures from all ports who had returned seizure data to us from September 2022 onwards as part of Defra African Swine Fever programme. This does not reflect all illegal meat seizures. We are unable to provide further levels of detail as we do not release details of the location of seizure; this information could risk undermining border security, by providing intelligence in our resource deployment and targeting Total seizures for full year on year are as follows: 2022 (Sept-Dec)3745kg202344,482kg202492,270kg

Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total Government budget to tackle homelessness was allocated to allocated to Norfolk County Council in this financial year.

Homelessness funding across Norfolk is provided through allocations to Norwich, North Norfolk, King's Lynn & West Norfolk, South Norfolk & Broadland, and Breckland. Individual programme allocations for the 2024/25 financial year can be accessed using the following links: Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-prevention-grant-2023-to-2025 (Collection)https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F63a1880dd3bf7f37654767a3%2FHomelessness_Prevention_Grant_2023_to_2025_allocations.ods&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK (Dataset)Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-initiative-2022-to-2025-updated-funding-allocations/rough-sleeping-initiative-2022-to-2025-updated-funding-allocationsRough Sleeping Winter Pressureshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-winter-pressures-2024-25-funding-allocations/rough-sleeping-winter-pressures-2024-25-funding-allocations

What steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in (a) South Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the South Norfolk constituency, this is the NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB.

What the average waiting time was in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital emergency department in each of the last ten years.

The data is not available in the format requested. Provisional data for the median average time spent at National Health Service trust emergency departments is published by NHS England each month, and is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/provisional-accident-and-emergency-quality-indicators-for-england

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle the disparity in progress 8 attainment between students who (a) are and (b) are not eligible for free school meals (i) in South Norfolk constituency and (ii) nationally.

Too many children are held back by their background, with gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers opening early and widening throughout their education. These gaps are not acceptable, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the link between young people’s background and their success by helping all children achieve and thrive wherever they are in the country.High and rising standards in every school, delivered though excellent teaching and a shared, knowledge-rich and engaging curriculum, are at the heart of the mission. Great schools need great teachers, and the quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. That is why the department has moved quickly by beginning work to recruit 6,500 expert teachers and launching the Curriculum and Assessment Review that will look closely at the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, in particular those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or with special educational needs or disabilities.New Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will drive higher standards, supporting all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice and enabling schools to better access support, and learn from one another, in addition to providing bespoke intervention packages to driving up outcomes where standards are slipping.To further support disadvantaged children, pupil premium funding is allocated to schools to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and is worth over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.Alongside this, in 2025/26, 10.6% (£5.1 billion) of the schools national funding formula (NFF) has been allocated through deprivation factors and 17.8% (£8.6 billion) has been allocated for additional needs overall. Furthermore, in 2025/26, on average, the most deprived schools have attracted the largest per pupil funding amounts through the schools NFF. This will help schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps and break down barriers to opportunity.The department is also committed to offering free breakfast clubs in all state-funded schools with primary-aged pupils, ensuring every primary school child, no matter their circumstances, is well prepared for school. From April 2025, up to 750 early adopter schools will be funded to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that includes food.More widely, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education co-chairs the government’s Child Poverty Taskforce which will drive cross-government action on child poverty, starting with the development of an ambitious child poverty strategy, which will be published later this year.

How much additional funding her Department has allocated for special educational needs provision by Norfolk County Council since the Autumn Budget 2024.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.Following the Autumn Budget, the department is providing an increase of almost £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year, bringing total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND to £11.9 billion. Of that total, Norfolk County Council is being allocated over £153 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG), an increase of £11.1 million on this year’s DSG high needs block, calculated using the high needs national funding formula (NFF). This NFF allocation is an 8% increase per head of their 2 to 18-year-old population, on their equivalent 2024/25 NFF allocation.As also announced at the Autumn Budget, the department is receiving compensation in recognition of the increase in national insurance contributions paid by schools and other state-funded SEND provision. That funding is additional to the £1 billion increase in high needs funding. Due to timing constraints, it will be provided as a separate grant, alongside the 2025/26 DSG for local authorities, and the department will provide further information on the allocations as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of flooding have been reported in (a) South Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk in the last five years.

Lead Local Flood Authorities undertake formal investigations after significant floods and produce Section 19 reports, which include the number of properties affected. Not all floods require a Section 19 investigation. Criteria for investigation include the number of properties internally flooded, nature of flooding, frequency of flooding, and critical infrastructure affected. Over the last five years, Norfolk County Council recorded over 900 reports of flooding to properties, 139 of those in the South Norfolk Constituency. In this period, the most significant flooding event in this Constituency occurred on 23 and 24 December 2020 with 83 properties flooded.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) support children in foster care and (b) the work of foster carers (i) in South Norfolk constituency and (ii) nationally.

The government is committed to ensuring that every child in care grows up with the love, care and support they need to achieve and thrive. All foster carers receive the National Minimum Allowance (NMA) to cover the costs of looking after the children in their care. In the 2025/26 financial year, the NMA is being uplifted by 3.55%.The government is supporting children in care by expanding the Mockingbird Family Model, which is an innovative evidence-based approach. Relationships are central to the design of the programme which involves six to ten satellite families grouped into a constellation around a hub home carer.In South Norfolk, this is being delivered as part of the Foster East Recruitment Hub, which launched in 2024 and comprises 12 neighbouring local authorities, including Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Luton, Thurrock, Southend, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.Across England, ten fostering regional programmes are live, working with 64% of all local authorities to collaboratively recruit and retain foster carers who will provide loving homes, local to the children who need them. An additional £15 million was announced to support this programme in the budget and the department intends to move towards full national roll out in the next financial year. The department welcomes discussions with other local authorities about our national expansion plans.

What proportion of single justice procedure convictions were for which recordable offences in the most recent year for which data is available.

There were no defendants dealt with for any recordable offences under single justice procedure in the 12 months between September 2023 and September 2024, which is the most recent year for which data is available. Therefore, we can assume there were no convictions for recordable offences under SJP in this period.