Written questions by Campbell.

What the cost was of her Department's language services contracts in 2024.

The cost for all language service contracts in 2024 was £31,625,158.35.It is a legal requirement that these services are provided.The procurement for these services follows the requirements of the Public Procurement Act, and delivers value for money for the taxpayer through robust competition and rigorous governance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of red squirrels in each year between 2022 and 2025.

The Government has not made an estimate of red squirrel populations between 2022 and 2025. No systematic national survey for the species currently exists, therefore it is not possible to provide annual population estimates. In England the red squirrel population is estimated to be 38,900 (Mathews et al, 2018).

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38924 on Chelsea Football Club: Sales, what progress the Financial Sanctions Implementation Office has made on ensuring that the frozen proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are sent to humanitarian causes in Ukraine.

The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far. While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this matter through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine receive the benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.

Innovation and Technology, how many people enrolled under the student recruitment system in the UK Space Agency’s Space Placements In Industry Programme in 2024.

The Space Placements in Industry Programme supported a total of 135 student placements over the summer of 2024, 119 of which were UK Space Agency funded and 16 of which were company funded.

How many employers were prosecuted for not paying employees the National Living Wage in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

HMRC’s priority is to ensure that workers receive the money they are owed as quickly as possible. It is for this reason, in the vast majority of cases, HMRC pursue civil enforcement. In 2023/24 civil enforcement resulted in HMRC issuing 767 Notices of Underpayment to employers. 2024/25 figures are not yet available.However, for the most egregious breaches of National Minimum Wage law, where employers are persistently non-compliant, or refuse to cooperate with HMRC, criminal prosecution may take place.The number of employers prosecuted specifically for breaching Section 31(1) “Employer refuses or wilfully neglects to pay NMW” in (a) 2023/24 was 1 and (b) 2024/25 was 1.

If she will make an estimate of the number of taxpayers in the 2025-25 financial year who (a) earned below the personal allowance threshold and (b) did not pay income tax in the 2024-25 financial year.

The information is not available.

If he will hold discussions with InterTrade UK on the potential impact of the trade agreement with the EU on internal trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Government's new strategic partnership with the EU will deliver greater prosperity and security for Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole. In particular, the new SPS Agreement with the EU will facilitate the smooth flow of agrifood and plants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, protecting the UK’s internal market, reducing costs for businesses and improving consumer choice. Intertrade UK is focused on promoting all internal UK trade including work to support businesses across the UK realise the full benefits of the new SPS Agreement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51305 on Asylum: Housing, what proportion of alternative accommodation was (a) another hotel, (b) domestic properties and (c) other dispersed accommodation in 2024.

Available data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can be broken down by accommodation type. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, if she will have urgent discussions with the Director General of the BBC on recent reports that a journalist with links to Hamas was used by the BBC to report on events in Gaza.

Under its Royal Charter, the BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. As the BBC is independent the Government does not intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operational or editorial decisions.The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a range of topics and when she met with the BBC Director General in February, they discussed the importance of the BBC in meeting its duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. In taking forward that duty, the Government believes that it is absolutely fundamental that stories about the events in Gaza are told and heard, but are done so with the utmost care, transparency and sensitivity. It is essential that the BBC in particular maintains the highest standards of reporting.In addition, it is for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to ensure the BBC is fulfilling its obligations to audiences as outlined in the Charter.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Defence Gardens Scheme for veterans.

We recognise the work of the Defence Gardens Scheme, along with so many others working hard to support our Armed Forces community and make a difference to the wellbeing of veterans. The Minister for Veterans and People saw first hand the Defence Gardens Scheme on a visit earlier this year to Northern Ireland. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs works closely with many Armed Forces charities and organisations who play a vital part of the wider support system for veterans, and the Minister for Veterans and People is actively exploring ways of simplifying and cohering access to Government support, working in partnership with the charity sector, via VALOUR, which was announced on 5 May 2025.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to hold discussions with Ofcom on potential changes to its oversight role of the broadcast media.

Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for broadcasting and by law carries out its duties independently of the Government.

If he will publish the outcome of the UK National Screening Committee Group B Streptococcus trials completed in 2024.

The UK National Screening Committee does not run its own trials. The committee is currently awaiting the findings of an independent trial into Group B Streptococcus, which concluded its recruitment phase in 2024. Neither the committee nor my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care have any influence over the date of publication for this independent trial.

What the key programme milestones are in the Global Combat Air Programme.

The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) has reached several major milestones since its launch in December 2022. In December 2023, the UK, Italy and Japan signed the "Convention on the Establishment of the Global Combat Air Programme – GCAP International Government Organisation", formalising the partnership for developing a next-generation fighter aircraft. The UK Government ratified the treaty in October 2024, and it entered into force in December 2024, enabling the creation of the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO), headquartered in Reading, UK.Also in December 2024, BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co Ltd (JAIEC), agreed to form a joint venture for GCAP, subject to regulatory approvals. The partners have agreed that the GIGO will let the first joint international contract during financial year 2025-26 for completion of Concept and Assessment and initial Design and Development activities.The programme's ambition remains to deliver an aircraft into service from 2035, and the detailed milestones will be agreed following completion of the Concept and Assessment phase.

What steps she is taking to support the ability of people to make payments in cash.

The government recognises that cash continues to be an important method of payment for people. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 gives the FCA responsibility and powers to protect access to cash. They have since introduced rules to protect access to cash, which will also support the ability of consumers and businesses to continue to transact in cash.

If she will add an option to specify national identity as British to the online Self-Assessment tax return.

HMRC collects data for Self Assessment returns in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These rules ensure that data we collect is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary. National identity is not needed for processing Self Assessment.

What steps he is taking to reduce cases of prostate cancer.

The Government understands that more needs to be done to reduce the number of cases of prostate cancer in England.The Government and the National Health Service promote a healthy lifestyle and physical activity to help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Guidance on healthy eating, including the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model the Eatwell Guide, is communicated through the NHS.UK website. Alongside this, the NHS’s Better Health Campaign signposts people to digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced that following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, and will apply to all cancer types, including prostate cancer. The goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.Currently, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend a national prostate cancer screening programme due to the limitations of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, which may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would not have caused harm during a man’s lifetime. However, the UK NSC is undertaking a comprehensive evidence review to assess six potential approaches to targeted screening for those at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Recommendations will be published upon the conclusion of this review.In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million UK-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, for what reason some of the toilets at Block T-3 in the Parliamentary estate have been sealed since January 2025.

The toilets in T-block are closed due to the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), following guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers published in 2023 and surveys carried out by structural engineers in 2024.A further programme of investigation, longer-term mitigation and limited replacement (where possible and practical) continues to be developed by Strategic Estates. This requires thorough and potentially disruptive surveys that are carried out around the business of the House (for example, during recess). The investigations and surveys will provide a comprehensive assessment of the issues and works required to reopen the toilets, and if it is feasible or practical to do so.The next phase of the programme is currently expected to begin by Summer recess, starting with surveys and investigations; the surveys could continue until the end of Conference recess. The project is envisaged to run to the end of 2027, due to the complexity of the work involved.

What the three main contributory factors are in the recent trends in the level of (a) Type 2 diabetes, (b) Coronary heart disease and (c) stroke.

According to the Global Burden of Disease, in 2021 the three main contributory risk factors for the burden in the United Kingdom for type 2 diabetes were high body mass index, dietary risks, and low physical activity, excluding high blood glucose. For coronary heart disease, the main contributory risk factors were high blood pressure, dietary risks, and high cholesterol. For stroke, the risk factors were high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and tobacco use.It is not possible to assess how much these risk factors have influenced trends or the change in trends for these three conditions, but the top three risk factors for each condition have remained the same from 1990 to 2021. For all three conditions, the prevalence increases with age, so the ageing population is also a leading contributory factor in recent trends.

What funding her Department provides to hotels contracted to accommodate people seeking asylum for (a) restoration and (b) maintenance of the property upon the termination of the contract.

The Home Office does not comment on commercial arrangements. All commercial contracts are completed and awarded in line with government procurement rules which are designed to ensure the best value for taxpayers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37986 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will hold discussions with the Minister for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on taking steps to increase the number of publicly available electric vehicle charging points.

The Secretary of State met with the Minister for the Economy, on 6 May to discuss decarbonising road transport. Minister Lightwood also met the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure in April during the British-Irish Council meeting to discuss the EV transition. Additionally, my officials regularly engage with the Department for Infrastructure on zero emission vehicle initiatives, including charging infrastructure development. While transport is largely devolved to the Department for Infrastructure, the Department is supporting Northern Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. Through Round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, we are providing up to £3.27 million to upgrade and expand the EV charging network. Previously, two grants totalling £1.38 million were awarded under the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.