Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49543, how many of the houses reacquired by his Department in January 2025 from Annington Homes have been used to house Afghans brought to the UK via (a) the Afghan Resettlement Programme and (b) separately as a subset of the Afghan Response Route.

Surplus SFA not needed for our personnel have been used in certain circumstances. 795 of the 36,000 properties bought back from Annington Homes in January 2025 have been used to house Afghans who worked alongside out troops in Afghanistan who have been brought to the UK via the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARAP).I refer the honourable member to the answer to PQ 72330 which provides the number of Afghan Response Route (ARR) Eligible Persons (EP) accommodated on the Defence Estate on 4 September 2025. The Department does not hold data on which former Annington Homes properties are occupied by ARR EPs.

With reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what procurement reforms will his Department introduce to improve the process in order to secure government contracts.

The UK’s Procurement Act, introduced by the previous administration, came into force on 24 February 2025 alongside a National Procurement Policy Statement aligning procurement to this Government's missions.This Government also announced on 26 June 2025 a new 10-week consultation entitled Public Procurement - Growing British industry, jobs and skills.These reforms aim to go further to strengthen the UK’s economic resilience and support British businesses. Our proposals will protect supply chains, support our businesses, create good local jobs, and deliver greater value for taxpayers.We will set out our response and further measures shortly.

How many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here: Sickness absence in the Civil Service - GOV.UK. The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.

How many Afghans were brought to the UK via the Afghan Response Route in each month the scheme was open.

As the responsible Department, the Home Office produce quarterly statistics for immigration. These statistics are broken down by the route in which the individual entered the UK. The Afghan Response Route (ARR) is included and can be accessed via the link below: safe-legal-routes-summary-tables-jun-2025.ods As of 4 July 2025, the ARR is closed. This Government continues to support the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) and is taking seriously our commitment to deliver on our promise to our Afghan friends and allies – many of whom stood side-by-side with the UK's Armed Forces in Afghanistan. By the end of this Parliament, we aim to have successfully honoured our obligation to complete relocations of eligible persons.

How many of the demonstrators arrested in central London on 9 August 2025 were (a) arrested for supporting Palestine Action and (b) subsequently charged for the same offence.

The Metropolitan Police has provided several public updates on the progression of the cases arising from the protest of 9 August on its website, with the most recent update on 1 September: https://news.met.police.uk/news/more-people-charged-with-terrorism-act-offences-linked-to-palestine-action-support-500541.The Metropolitan Police have also released statistics on the arrests made at the central London protests on 9 August 2025. A total of 532 individuals were arrested. 522 of those were arrested for an offence contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT). Section 13 of TACT makes it an offence to wear clothing or display an article in a public place in circumstances that arouse reasonable suspicion that the person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. Further information on the arrests on 9 August can be found here: https://news.met.police.uk/news/update-532-arrested-during-protest-policing-operation-499897.The investigation and prosecution of criminal offences, including determining whether an offence has been committed or not, is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who are operationally independent.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled UK-France treaty targeting illegal crossings comes into force, published on 7 August 2025, whether there is a minimum number of returns that would determine the pilot to have been successful.

The UK-France Treaty sets out the lawful basis for the reciprocal exchange of individuals on a one-to-one basis. We will continuously monitor and evaluate the pilot as it progresses, with a full evaluation to be completed at the end of the pilot period.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) financial and (b) other impacts of the proposed strike action on 10 September 2025 on the horseracing industry.

The Government is aware of the postponement of racing on 10 September, with the four fixtures rescheduled between 8-15 September. No internal analysis has been conducted of the financial implications of the industry’s decision to postpone racing, however we remain in close contact with the sporting authorities.

How many (a) asylum hotels, (b) houses in multiple occupation used to house asylum seekers, (c) other properties used to house asylum seekers and (d) asylum seekers there were in Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley constituency as of 1 September 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 4 September to Question 71421.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of building a bypass on the A1 at Buckden roundabout, in the context of potential levels of traffic caused by (a) Universal Studios, (b) proposed development at Brampton Cross and (c) the proposed logistics parks at Hinchingbrooke and Wavesey.

There are currently no plans to bypass the Buckden Roundabout on the A1 in Cambridgeshire. However, the Department and National Highways recognise the significant emerging development in the region and will consider how to maintain the performance of the strategic road network and how it can support emerging development there. This will be considered as part of ongoing engagement with local authorities and other partners.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of HMS Richmond's planned use of the Taiwan Strait in September on UK relations with China.

We do not routinely comment on operational details. Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international laws and norms and exercises its rights to freedom of navigation and overflight provided for by United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of CBAM in January 2027 on defence procurement.

The UK Government will introduce a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027 to address the risk of carbon leakage, and support efforts towards industrial decarbonisation to achieve net zero. Initially, the CBAM will apply only to specific imports from a limited number of sectors at risk of carbon leakage, including aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel. These sectors collectively account for less than 3% of total UK imports. The government expects the CBAM to have a negligible inflationary impact on consumers in the near term. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will continue to engage as the policy develops to fully assess the implications for Defence. The MOD is committed to addressing climate and environmental challenges, complying with environmental legislation and standards, while ensuring Defence activities and national security are protected.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the age profile of local government officers eligible for redundancy following the implementation of local government reform (a) in Cambridgeshire and (b) nationally.

Councils, as employers, are responsible for managing the staffing implications of Local Government Reorganisation. In our invitations to councils, we asked areas to set out in their proposals how they will seek to manage transition costs, which we expect to include any staffing implications. We anticipate that the vast majority of council workers will transfer to new organisations, and workers will be protected by the relevant employment laws, including the Local Government (Structural and Boundary Changes) (Staffing) Regulations 2008.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 69995 on Primates: Imports, how many macaques have been imported into the UK for scientific research since 5 July 2024.

There were 19 import consignments since July 2024 and 1,696 macaques in total. These figures are from the number of import licences issued for macaques and where the Animal and Plant Health Agency received confirmation that the consignment had arrived in the UK.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Criminals to face football, travel, club and pub bans, published on 23 August 2025, which prisons are the 2,400 new prison places since July 2024 located in.

We are committed to continuing the prison build programmes, aiming to deliver 14,000 places by 2031. Between July 2024 and 23 August 2025, places were delivered at the following sites:SitePlacesHMP Millsike1,468HMP Rye Hill458HMP Stocken214HMP Sudbury120HMP Cookham Wood70HMP Fosse Way54HMP Holme House21Total2,405 We have also delivered an additional 64 places at other sites through refurbishments of individual cells.

With reference to page 27 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published on 24 June 2025, who will be responsible for the creating of a Biothreats Radar.

The Cabinet Office’s National Situation Centre is responsible for creating the Biothreats Radar. The Radar brings together information on human, animal, and plant health risks to create a powerful, near real-time view of emerging biological threats and the impact they could have.

What assessment has he made of the potential merits of adopting the (a) L403A1-AIW, (b) the L119A1/A2 and (c) the Sig Sauer MCX as the replacement for the L85A3.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 28 April 2025 to Question 45196.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of a Bank Holiday to celebrate the victory of the England Women’s Football Team in the 2025 European Championships on the economy.

The Government recognises the Lionesses’ extraordinary achievement in securing their second consecutive European title.We regularly receive requests for additional bank and public holidays to mark a variety of occasions. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2 billion.The current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established and the Government has no plans to create a one-off bank holiday to celebrate the victory of the England Women’s Football Team.

Which schools will be demolished as a result of the third runway at Heathrow.

The Government is currently assessing proposals for the delivery of a third runway at Heathrow. Detailed impacts, including on homes, social infrastructure and community facilities, will depend on the final scheme design and boundary, which have not yet been confirmed. Further updates will be provided as the assessment progresses.

With reference to page 11 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published on 24 June 2025, what progress she has made in enhancing the resilience of critical national infrastructure.

The UK Government is committed to building the security and resilience of UK critical national infrastructure (CNI). On 8 July this year, the Government published the Resilience Action Plan, which sets out this government's strategic approach to increasing the UK's resilience against the risks the UK faces. To improve CNI resilience, UK Government has committed to continue delivery of CNI Knowledge Base - the UK government’s world-leading CNI mapping tool; map and fully use the complex network of reserved and devolved standards for CNI sectors, which are fundamental in holding industry to account and assuring the resilience of UK CNI; develop a new Cyber Resilience Index to build on existing cyber resilience measures to provide a cross-sector, holistic overview of cyber resilience for UK CNI; and raise resilience by using UK government resources, including the expertise of our National Technical Authorities (including National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority), to provide world-leading advice on security and resilience best practice directly to businesses.