Written questions by Morris.

How much and what proportion of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant was allocated to rough sleeping drug and alcohol treatment in each of the last five financial years.

Through the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant (DATRIG), the Department is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted funding to improve drug and alcohol services and recovery support.Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services to meet local need. Further details are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-2025-to-2026/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-allocations-2025-to-2026For 2025/26, the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG) component of the DATRIG was published separately. £58.7 million is being provided through this component to support people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough with drug and alcohol treatment needs. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-grant-2025-to-2026-funding-allocationsDue to there being some local authority flexibility around DATRIG spend, the previously separate grant components, other than the RSDATG element, have not been published.The DATRIG is new for this financial year. Before 2025/26, the RSDATG was a standalone grant, and up to £186.5 million was available between 2022 and 2025 to fund targeted drug and alcohol treatment services and support for the rough sleeping population in 83 local authorities and via five pan-London projects. Up to £75 million was available for the RSDATG programme between 2020 and 2022.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 41043 on Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment, what his Department's process of advertising the funding applications to NHS foundation trusts was.

In December 2024, NHS England wrote to all radiotherapy treatment providers inviting them to apply for funding to replace ageing radiotherapy machines.

How many (a) prison officers, (b) probation officers, and (c) workers in her Department submitted their resignation in each of the past five years.

The number of prison and probation officers who have resigned is published each quarter in the “HM Prison and Probation Service workforce statistics” publication.The latest data, which goes back to the year ending March 2019, is available in Table 14b of this spreadsheet: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67b5c95fb56d8b0856c2fec9/hmpps-workforce-statistics-tables-dec-2024_final.ods.The number of Ministry of Justice staff who have resigned each year is published as part of the Cabinet Office’s “Civil Service statistics” publication. The latest resignations data, for the year ending March 2024, is available in Table 42 of this spreadsheet: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66e1631138493bbcd79f4706/Statistical_tables_-_Civil_Service_Statistics_2024.ods.Figures for previous years are available in earlier publications available here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.

How many (a) police officers and (b) workers in her Department submitted their resignation in each of the past five years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service, including resignations, in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Information on the number of police officers leaving the police service, broken down by reason for leaving, between the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2024 can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669a917cce1fd0da7b59294f/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-240724.ods.Information for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 is due to be published in Summer 2025.The number of Home Office staff who have submitted their resignation in the last five years can be found in the table below.YearHeadcountMar-21614Mar-221,009Mar-231,497Mar-241,451Mar-251,452

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to process applications for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support fund in the 2025-26 financial year.

The changes made to the adoption and special guardianship support fund will enable the funding to be accessed by the maximum number of children and families. This level of funding will still allow eligible adoptive and kinship children to access a significant package of therapeutic support to help prevent placement breakdowns. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.We have been working closely with our delivery partners to implement operational changes which will make it easier for local authorities and regional adoption agencies to submit applications, and we will continue to review what further steps we can take. The department’s delivery partners are working as quickly as possible to review and approve applications so that children and families can access therapy without delay.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund in the 2025-26 financial year on (a) kinship and (b) adoptive families.

The changes made to the adoption and special guardianship support fund will enable the funding to be accessed by the maximum number of children and families. This level of funding will still allow eligible adoptive and kinship children to access a significant package of therapeutic support to help prevent placement breakdowns. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.We have been working closely with our delivery partners to implement operational changes which will make it easier for local authorities and regional adoption agencies to submit applications, and we will continue to review what further steps we can take. The department’s delivery partners are working as quickly as possible to review and approve applications so that children and families can access therapy without delay.

Whether her Department consulted with its (a) kinship carer and (b) adopter reference groups before the decision to change the funding arrangements for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support fund in the 2025-26 financial year was made.

The changes made to the adoption and special guardianship support fund will enable the funding to be accessed by the maximum number of children and families. This level of funding will still allow eligible adoptive and kinship children to access a significant package of therapeutic support to help prevent placement breakdowns. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.We have been working closely with our delivery partners to implement operational changes which will make it easier for local authorities and regional adoption agencies to submit applications, and we will continue to review what further steps we can take. The department’s delivery partners are working as quickly as possible to review and approve applications so that children and families can access therapy without delay.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 902429 on Orgreave, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on an investigation or inquiry into the events at Orgreave.

The Home Secretary and the Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention have been meeting with a number of stakeholders to discuss the manifesto commitment for an investigation or inquiry into the events at Orgreave.Next steps will be announced in due course.

With reference to the Report to the Shipbuilding Enterprise for Growth Group by the Centres of Excellence Task & Finish Group, published in September 2024, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on potential domestic maritime employment opportunities in the pipeline of shipbuilding contracts identified in that report.

Shipbuilding skills and employment is led by the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO), which is hosted by the Ministry of Defence. My officials are in regular contact with the NSO to understand where the Department can support their work.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 38961 on British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, if he will set out the differences between the (a) Mineworkers Pension Scheme and (b) British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme referred to in that Answer.

The schemes operate in different ways. A key difference is that there is no surplus sharing arrangement in the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS). The Government is considering proposals put forward by the BCSSS Trustees and needs to understand their impacts for both scheme members and the Government, in the same way as we are doing for the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme. The Government and BCSSS Trustees are working together to jointly commission analysis so that we can gain that understanding and work towards reaching agreement on a way forward.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions in the level of funding for the Adult Skills Fund to mayoral combined authorities on (a) Courses for Jobs and (b) tailored learning; and whether her Department has completed a related equality impact assessment.

This government is currently facing a challenging fiscal context. Fixing the foundations of the economy will take time, and tough decisions are needed across the public sector to get our finances back under control and ensure that we deliver on our priorities through our Plan for Change. In this challenging context, the government carefully considers the impacts of its decisions, including public sector equality duty.The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.As of August 2025, the department will have devolved 68% of the ASF to mayoral strategic authorities, who are now responsible for adult skills provision in their areas. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding and are responsible for the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for allocating the remaining ASF budget in non-devolved areas.In non-devolved areas, our allocation methodology for the 2025/26 academic year recognises priority courses, as well as providers with a strong track record of delivering above their allocations and providing for more learners. As a result, there will be a significant number of providers who will see their allocations increase in the 2025/26 academic year.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in the Education and Skills Funding Agency Adult Skills Fund on (a) Courses for Jobs and (b) tailored learning.

This government is currently facing a challenging fiscal context. Fixing the foundations of the economy will take time, and tough decisions are needed across the public sector to get our finances back under control and ensure that we deliver on our priorities through our Plan for Change. In this challenging context, the government carefully considers the impacts of its decisions, including public sector equality duty.The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.As of August 2025, the department will have devolved 68% of the ASF to mayoral strategic authorities, who are now responsible for adult skills provision in their areas. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding and are responsible for the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for allocating the remaining ASF budget in non-devolved areas.In non-devolved areas, our allocation methodology for the 2025/26 academic year recognises priority courses, as well as providers with a strong track record of delivering above their allocations and providing for more learners. As a result, there will be a significant number of providers who will see their allocations increase in the 2025/26 academic year.

With reference to the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy published on 25 March 2025, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (SHORE) takes account of employment practices at companies which submit bids to SHORE for public funding.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy encourages building on the UK’s extensive maritime knowledge, expertise and capacity for innovation. Through the UK Shipping Emissions for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, we have invested £236m across the UK to support research and development into clean maritime technologies.As the primary delivery partner for UK SHORE, Innovate UK manages the competition, assessment process, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring and management of UK SHORE funded projects. Innovate UK undertakes rigorous checks on each organisation receiving funding before grants are awarded. There are clauses within the grant awards that allow funding to be immediately suspended or terminated if we have concerns about an organisation breaking the law, including through their employment practices.

Which (a) Departments, (b) agencies and (c) public bodies sponsor staff on skilled worker visas.

This information is not held centrally. However, the Civil Service Nationality Rules govern eligibility for employment in the Civil Service and must be followed by government departments in their recruitment and appointment procedures.

Which (a) Departments, (b) agencies and (c) public bodies employ staff on graduate visas.

The department employs people on graduate visas. Of our executive non-departmental public bodies, the following employ people on graduate visas:Construction Industry Training Board.Student Loans Company.Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.Social Work England.

What information his Department holds on career progression for non-UK personnel by nationality.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 March 2025 to Question 35903 to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr Jogee).

Whether he plans to (a) decentralise the commissioning of radiotherapy and (b) give English regions more control over (i) treatment pathways and (ii) new radiotherapy technologies.

The Government is investing £70 million of central funding to replace radiotherapy machines, to ensure the most advanced treatment is available to patients who need it, however since April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those undergoing radiotherapy treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to introduce a national digital equine ID system.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification. We have no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but we remain in close touch with the industry to look at potential improvements to equine ID.

When the most recent new NHS radiotherapy centre was built that was not linked to the closure of an existing centre in (a) England and (b) the North East.

The Department does not collect information as to why new radiotherapy centres were built, and what links may exist with closures of radiotherapy centres. This is because decisions about radiotherapy treatment are made at local level.However, the most recent NHS radiotherapy centre in England that opened was the Oxford University Hospitals Radiotherapy Centre in Milton Keynes which opened to patients in January 2025. The most recent radiotherapy centre to open in the North East of England is at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough, which opened in May 2012.

What data his Department holds on the availability of Buvidal, broken down by region.

Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice have discussed the issue. The Department of Health and Social Care advises local areas that they can use the funding given to them to deliver drug and alcohol treatment to enable prescribing of buprenorphine long-acting injection in their areas, and advises and supports local areas to establish, maintain and grow this provision and this includes for those who leave prison.It is a clinical decision whether to offer this treatment, based on an individual assessment and personal choice. Buvidal is available in all regions in England; the following table shows its availability in community structured treatment as a proportion of the overall population in treatment for opiate use, broken down by region, for the fourth quarter of 2023/24, the latest period for which data is available:RegionAdults in treatment for opiatesBuprenorphine long lasting injectionBuprenorphine long lasting injection (%)East Midlands116191841.58%East of England108862262.08%London176306863.89%North East101213293.25%North West241169393.89%South East144852821.95%South West133712882.15%West Midlands166663422.05%Yorkshire & the Humber183555292.88%England13724938052.77%Source: National Drug Treatment Monitoring System March 2024