Written questions by Hayes.

Whether Ministers and special advisers in his Department have met the Royal Household to discuss the rebranding of UK Government.

For information relating to stakeholder engagement, I refer the Hon. Member to Question 112168.

How many freedom of information requests his Department has responded to in each of the last five years.

Freedom of Information statistics for all central government bodies, including the Cabinet Office, are published on a quarterly and annual basis on Gov.UK at www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Whether it is his Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

The Ministry of Defence follows HM Government policy published on gov.uk on the use of WhatsApp. This recognises that non-corporate communication channels such as WhatsApp may be used exceptionally provided due care is given for security and recordkeeping. ‘Disappearing message’ functions are permitted by the HMG policy on the condition that “any such use does not impact on your recordkeeping or transparency responsibilities”.

What steps she has taken with local authorities to improve road infrastructure in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Lincolnshire County Council is the local highway authority for South Holland and The Deepings, and it sits within the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA). GLCCA are eligible to receive £368,646,000 in the next four years and received £73,478,000 million in highways maintenance funding in 2025/26.The Department also introduced a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so use best practice. This system is designed to highlight where authorities need support, as well as to encourage continuous improvement.Lincolnshire County Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, amber for spend and amber for best practice.

If he will take steps to increase research and development on child brain tumours.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.We are committed to furthering our investment in brain cancer research and have already taken steps to stimulate scientific progress and build scientific capacity to do research on brain cancer.In January 2026, the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.The NIHR has also announced a new partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), with approximately £3 million to co-fund Brain Tumour Centres of Excellence, which includes the Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence. This investment will accelerate the move from foundational research to delivering innovative treatments for patients.In addition, the NIHR is actively engaged with CRUK alongside the health departments of the devolved administrations, through joint funding of the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network, a United Kingdom-wide consortium of specialist centres dedicated to early phase clinical trials and translational cancer research, including those for brain tumours. They have both an adult and a paediatric network.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including paediatric brain cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Whether it is her Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

The department’s policy is to follow the Cabinet Office’s published guidance on the use of non-corporate communication channels.

What steps he is taking to help improve access to immunotherapy for brain tumour patients.

The National Cancer Plan will support England to be a world leader on cancer research and innovation. The Department’s actions will support patients in England to get access to the latest breakthroughs in care and treatment. This will aid the health and care system to prevent, detect, and better treat and manage a wider range of cancers contributing to improved survival rates enabling 320,000 lives to be saved by 2035.Every cancer patient who would benefit from a genomic test, including patients with brain cancer, will receive one in a clinically relevant timeframe, supported by expanded genomic testing capacity through new NHS Genomic Medicine Service Lead Provider contracts from April 2026. This is in addition to increasing the use of whole genome sequencing in routine clinical practice for children with cancer or rare diseases.Furthermore, Genomic testing will support access to clinical trials, with plans to expand ctDNA and other biomarker testing to a wider range of cancers by 2030, enabling personalised treatment pathways for rare cancers such as brain tumours.Investment in four new aseptic medicines production hubs, operational by 2027, will expand national capacity for systemic anticancer therapies, including immunotherapies. To support improved outcomes for rare cancer patients, they will benefit from a move to specialist multi-disciplinary teams, that cover multiple providers. This will allow them to benefit from the input of specialist centres and so access to the best evidence care. This will be underpinned by continued engagement with rare cancer charities to ensure patients receive the right support after treatment.Rare cancers, including brain tumours, are an explicit research and access priority in the National Cancer Plan, supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) investment, such as the £13.7 million NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and measures to accelerate breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment.

If he will take steps to help improve access to whole genome sequencing for diagnosis of brain tumours.

The National Cancer Plan will support England to be a world leader on cancer research and innovation. The Department’s actions will support patients in England to get access to the latest breakthroughs in care and treatment. This will aid the health and care system to prevent, detect, and better treat and manage a wider range of cancers contributing to improved survival rates enabling 320,000 lives to be saved by 2035.Every cancer patient who would benefit from a genomic test, including patients with brain cancer, will receive one in a clinically relevant timeframe, supported by expanded genomic testing capacity through new NHS Genomic Medicine Service Lead Provider contracts from April 2026. This is in addition to increasing the use of whole genome sequencing in routine clinical practice for children with cancer or rare diseases.Furthermore, Genomic testing will support access to clinical trials, with plans to expand ctDNA and other biomarker testing to a wider range of cancers by 2030, enabling personalised treatment pathways for rare cancers such as brain tumours.Investment in four new aseptic medicines production hubs, operational by 2027, will expand national capacity for systemic anticancer therapies, including immunotherapies. To support improved outcomes for rare cancer patients, they will benefit from a move to specialist multi-disciplinary teams, that cover multiple providers. This will allow them to benefit from the input of specialist centres and so access to the best evidence care. This will be underpinned by continued engagement with rare cancer charities to ensure patients receive the right support after treatment.Rare cancers, including brain tumours, are an explicit research and access priority in the National Cancer Plan, supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) investment, such as the £13.7 million NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and measures to accelerate breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment.

How many public sector pensions have been forfeited due to convictions for violent crimes in each of the last 10 years.

HM Treasury does not administer public sector pension schemes, and does not hold this information.

If she will make it her policy to revoke pensions from police officers convicted of violent crimes.

A police officer’s pension may be forfeited where an individual has been convicted of a criminal offence committed in connection with their service as a police officer, which the Secretary of State has certified as either gravely injurious to the interests of the State, or liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence.Decisions on whether to forfeit a police officer’s pension and, if so, to what extent, are a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) of the relevant force. Whilst a PCC cannot forfeit a pension in these circumstances without a certificate from the Secretary of State, the issuance of such a certificate does not oblige them to proceed with forfeiture. Such decisions are made independently of government, and on a case-by-case basis.It is not possible for the Secretary of State to proactively seek an application for a pension forfeiture certificate, or to issue such a certificate, without an application first being made by the relevant PCC. There are no current plans to amend these regulatory arrangements.

Whether it is her Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

The primary guidance that ministers and officials should follow is the Non-Corporate Communications Channels (NCCCs).Guidance issued by the Government Digital Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business

How many people were unemployed for over 12 months in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the last 12 months, and what proportion of those people were unemployed for 18 months or more.

The information requested is not available, due to small sample sizes on the survey used to estimate unemployment in constituencies. National level estimates of unemployment of more than 12 months duration are available in ONS Table UNEM01. There is published information on the number of years duration of UC claims by conditionality regime by constituency on Stat-Xplore (Stat-Xplore - Table View), but this does not identify 18 months as a cut-off.

If he will take steps to increase early diagnosis for child brain tumours.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, including children with brain tumours.Early diagnosis of cancers is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity.Through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is committed to speeding up the detection and diagnosis of cancer in children and young people, ensuring their needs are embedded into the design of the neighborhood health service, improving access to specialist support and ensuring safe use of artificial intelligence based decision tools. This commitment sits alongside wider action to transform cancer care for children and young people.To improve the outcomes and experience of children and young people with cancer, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce on 4 February 2025. Since its launch, the taskforce has brought together experts across a range of sectors to identify tangible improvements across four areas: early detection and diagnosis; genomic testing and treatment; research and innovation; and patient experience, considering both clinical and non-clinical care. The taskforce ensured that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer were carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan for England.

Whether external consultants were hired as part of the process of rebranding from HM Government to UK Government.

For information relating to the UK Government branding update, I refer the Hon. Member to Questions HL14450, HL14451 and HL14452. For information relating to stakeholder engagement, I refer the Hon. Member to Question 112168. Government communications use “UK Government” as the primary identity for public-facing communications. This is not an introduction of a new UK Government brand identity. The Government Communication Service routinely reviews its branding to ensure it remains effective, accessible and fit for purpose across all channels, including digital platforms.

What steps his Department is taking to help support (a) start-ups and (b) scale-ups in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

Through the Industrial Strategy, Small Business Plan and Budget 2025, the government is backing scale-ups to scale and stay in the UK.The Department for Business and Trade has integrated its support for businesses in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service. UK businesses, including those in Lincolnshire, can access our wide range of support via business.gov.uk. We're engaging more closely with founders and scaling firms, providing support to unblock barriers and help scale-ups realise their full potential.We are also supporting the Greater Lincolnshire Growth Hub to provide support to businesses, including start-ups and scale-ups.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve access to export support services for SMEs in Lincolnshire.

The Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub is part of the Business Growth Service, which helps UK businesses access export support including the Business Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and support from International Trade Advisers. The Department continues to engage with the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Strategic Authority on the development of its Local Growth Plan. This will set out a ten-year plan to grow the region’s economy, including identifying growth driving sectors and investment and trade strengths and opportunities.

What recent steps his Department has taken to help support independent high street businesses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Our Small Business Plan sets out how government will tackle high street decline, retail crime and anti-social behaviour; update our licensing regime; and improve partnership working on the High Street.High street business will benefit from improved access to finance, strong measures to address late payments and a range of support through the Business Growth Service. Later this year we will publish a new High Streets Strategy, expanding on our £5bn Pride in Place Programme to renew our neighbourhoods and high streets.Spalding, South Holland, is among 75 places receiving up to £20 million annually for a decade, providing long-term planning certainty.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of digital exclusion in Lincolnshire.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily.But we know some people face real barriers. Data from 2024/25 shows that 8% of adults in Lincolnshire reported they do not use the internet, with the average across England also at 8%.That’s why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, and why we’re now delivering the foundations: better connectivity, more devices reaching people who need them, and support to build skills and confidence in communities across the UK.We also launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, including £25,872 for a community-led digital skills project in Grimsby, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discissions she has had with the signatories of the Pelindaba Treaty on their future adherence to that Treaty, in the context of (a) the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius and (b) potential future UK or US military operations including the stationing or transit of nuclear weapons on Diego Garcia.

For the reasons explained at length on previous occasions, no such discussions are required or intended. We will continue to operate the base exactly as we have done before.

Whether it is his Department policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

Ministers, Special Advisers and Civil Service staff are required to follow the Non-Corporate Communication Channels (NCCC) guidance on GOV.UK when using WhatsApp or similar communications tools. This guidance explains ministers’ responsibilities for keeping an accurate official record. Paragraph 24 of this guidance states that ‘disappearing message functions have a role in limiting the build up of messages on devices. You must ensure that any such use does not impact on your recordkeeping or transparency responsibilities’.