Written questions by Hayes.

Communities and Local Government, how many residential buildings have registered with the Building Safety Fund in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

No buildings in South Holland and the Deepings constituency registered with the Building Safety Fund. Between 1 and 5 buildings in Lincolnshire registered and have since been transferred to the Cladding Safety Scheme to streamline delivery. To note the department does not hold complete addresses for buildings that did not proceed to a full application.

How many full time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

In 2023 there were 4.6 full time equivalent staff.In 2024 there were 9.3.In 2025 there were 9.3. The number is lower for 2023 as the department was new and still recruiting. While these staff members have social media content creation as part of their role, they deliver a range of services beyond this - from branding for new agencies to training videos for staff. Having the resource to do this work in-house is cheaper than outsourcing to agencies with taxpayer funds.

How many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Information on the number of civil servants employed on temporary contracts is published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics as part of the quarterly Public Sector Employment statistics. Information can be accessed for September 2025 at the following web address: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/september2025 Departmental expenditure on consultancy is published within the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest report for FY 2024/25 can be found at the following web address: DWP annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

How many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Information on the number of civil servants in the Department is published monthly on the GOV.UK website, and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-workforce-management-informationAs of the 31 October 2025, the total number of civil servants employed by the Department on a temporary contract was 54. This equates to 1.5% of civil servants employed by the Department. There were no civil servants employed in the department as a consultant.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce and (b) prevent equipment theft in (1) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (2) Lincolnshire.

Equipment theft can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its intentions to prevent the theft and re-sale of All-Terrain Vehicles, quad bikes and GPS systems. We will introduce the necessary secondary legislation when parliamentary time allows. The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, where the items are reasonably believed to have been stolen and are on those premises, and where it has not been reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant from a court. This will provide a valuable tool for police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery. This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000). The National Rural Crime Unit provides police forces with specialist operational support in their response to rural crime, such as the theft of farming or construction equipment. They also help police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt organised crime groups. We have also worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2028. The strategy highlights how policing can assist in the prevention of crime in rural areas including equipment theft.

How many full time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

Due to the difficulty of disaggregating the number of staff who are employed to produce social media content from staff who are employed to work on broader digital communications, it is not possible to report exact figures in response to this question.

How many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

As of 30 November, 265 staff at the Department for Transport were on a temporary contract - representing 7.2% of the total workforce. We do not collate data on the number of individuals working within the Department at any moment in time as part of consultancy contracts.

Media and Sport, how many full time equivalent staff in her Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport delivers a wide range of communications campaigns through digital and traditional channels. It is not possible to provide the exact number of staff employed solely to create social media content. These responsibilities are integrated into the broader roles of staff within the digital and communications teams to ensure the best value for the taxpayer.

How many Technical Excellence Colleges are planned to be in Lincolnshire.

As part of its mission to break down barriers to opportunity, this government is transforming further education colleges into specialist technical excellence colleges (TECs), working with a wide range of skills partners to provide young people and adults with better opportunities and the highly trained workforce that local economies need.We have already launched ten new construction TECs, backed by £120 million, and are now expanding the TEC programme to a further four high growth sectors in defence, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technologies.Applications for all four sectors are now live and will close on 16 February 2026.Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. Successful TECs will be appointed from April 2026.

How many full time equivalent staff in her Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.

Due to the difficulty of disaggregating the number of staff who are employed to produce social media content from staff who are employed to work on broader digital communications, it is not possible to report exact figures in response to this question.

If she will make an assessment of the feasibility of the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

The Government has provided crucial certainty to industry by reinstating the 2030 phase-out date for new cars relying solely on internal combustion engines. We’re also investing over £7.5 billion to support drivers and manufacturers to make the switch to zero emission, including the £2 billion Electric Car Grant, to reduce the cost of new electric vehicles (EVs).The certainty these commitments provide unlocks investment and benefits British consumers. More drivers than ever are choosing electric: November saw another month of increased sales, with EVs accounting for one in four cars sold.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase volunteering opportunities in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Volunteering is vital to the fabric of British life and communities throughout the country. That’s why the Government aims to encourage and enable as many people as possible to be involved. This year, we are investing in developing an open data infrastructure for volunteering, which will make it easier for people to find opportunities online and volunteer in their communities.DCMS is also supporting the launch of The Big Help Out 2026, which aims to encourage organisations to provide meaningful volunteering opportunities and inspire people to make a difference in communities across the country. The campaign will signpost local opportunities, including in Lincolnshire, to encourage new volunteers to get involved in a range of activities. People can register their interest in The Big Help Out 2026 here.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the phasing out of telephone landlines on residents in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Landlines are not being phased out. The technology underpinning landline telephones is being modernised from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP enables clearer and better-quality phone calls, improved flexibility, and cost savings. Fibre cables are more resilient and less prone to damage during severe weather events.However, the Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration are mitigated for people across the UK, including in South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire. In November 2024, the Government secured additional safeguards from the telecoms industry via the non-voluntary migrations checklist, including battery back-ups, and free engineering visits if needed.

What assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of (a) petrol and (b) diesel prices in Lincolnshire.

Fuel price trends are monitored nationally and published in the Department’s weekly statistics on GOV.UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) oversee market transparency and compliance and publish quarterly and yearly reports on GOV.UK.

What recent discussions he has had with HM Courts and Tribunals Service on reducing the backlog of criminal cases in Lincolnshire.

Lincoln Crown Court has continued to reduce outstanding workloads through the creation of a fourth Crown Court room in May 2021, utilising all Crown Court sitting day allocations for this financial year. To mitigate delays in setting trial dates, Lincoln actively identifies cases that are too large to be heard within Lincoln, moving these within the East Midlands in agreement with relevant parties. The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard and too many victims waiting years for justice. Investment alone is not enough - that is why this Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. On 2 December, the Deputy Prime Minister responded to the first part of that review and set out why reform is necessary, alongside investment and modernisation.

What steps she is taking to ensure that all pupils are able to purse vocational education pathways in Lincolnshire.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, published on 20 October, set out our vision for a world-leading skills system which breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development and improves people’s lives.It sets out our plans to introduce V Levels, which will sit alongside A levels and T Levels, and will become the pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16 to 19 year olds, sitting alongside the academic and technical pathways. We will also introduce two clear post-16 pathways at level 2 for further study and for occupations. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026. Full details are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-level-3-and-below-pathways.Skills England has also been established to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade.

If she will review the (a) age and (b) quality of school buildings in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

I refer the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings to the answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 83935.

What steps he is taking to increase access to pharmacies in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies. These assessments must be kept under review. The Lincolnshire Health and Wellbeing Board consulted on the draft PNA for 2025 to 2028 between 6 January and 8 March 2025 and was satisfied that there were no gaps in provision. No pharmacies have closed in the area since the analysis was undertaken. Integrated care boards give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of creating a single crossbow licensing authority for England and Wales.

The Government is actively considering the introduction of further controls around crossbows.This follows a call for evidence on strengthening controls on crossbows on public safety grounds, which ran from 14 February to 9 April 2024, and tested ideas for whether there should be some form of licensing regime that would provide further controls on the use, ownership and supply of crossbows including whether sellers should be licensed in some way.We will publish the Government’s response to the call for evidence shortly, which will include what action we intend to take.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to encourage public bodies to prioritise the purchase of produce from (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

This Government has set a clear ambition for half of all food purchased across the public sector to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards within legal constraints. The Government is undertaking work to ensure we can deliver on this ambition, including to improve our understanding of what food the public sector currently buys and where it comes from. The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for Government contracts to favour products certified to higher environmental standards. The Government believes that high-quality British producers, including those based in South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire, will be well-placed to meet these standards.