Written questions by Hayes.

How many full-time equivalent civil servants are working on policy related to nuclear test veterans.

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK's security. Many officials from across the Ministry of Defence are working on policy related to nuclear test veterans. Collating information on the precise number of officials is not possible, as some officials will spend periods of time focused on nuclear test veterans when certain matters arise and will then focus on other areas as and when needed. The Secretary of State for Defence and I were glad to recently meet with the Right Honourable member and others to provide reassurance that the Department is taking seriously our commitment to Nuclear Test Veterans and that appropriate resource has been dedicated to this matter.

What steps he is taking to improve infant feeding support in Lincolnshire.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and giving every child the best start in life. Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development.Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, we are investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England, including Lincolnshire. We have also extended and expanded the National Breastfeeding Helpline so that more families across the United Kingdom can access breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The child health workforce is central to how we provide infant feeding support. We have committed to strengthening health visiting services so that all families can access joined-up, high quality services. We have also committed to training thousands more midwives across the country to better support women throughout their pregnancy and beyond. By April 2025, the number of full-time equivalents had increased by 1,330 compared to April 2024.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on the agricultural sector.

As part of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal, we have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef. For the first time ever, British farmers can sell their high-quality British beef to a market of over 300 million people, helping farmers grow their business.Our approach to this trade deal has ensured that any agricultural imports coming into the UK will continue to meet the highest food, animal welfare and environmental standards. Imports of hormone treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal.We continue to engage extensively with the agricultural and food sectors.

What assessment she has made of the disability employment gap in Lincolnshire.

The disability employment gap is monitored and published in the official statistics release The employment of disabled people 2024 - GOV.UK in data tables LMS008, LMS009 and LMS010. This includes statistics on the local authority areas Lincolnshire. The disability employment gap for 2023/24 was 24.7 percentage points in Lincolnshire. This compares to the UK wide disability employment gap of 27.2 percentage points for 2023/24. This is the latest period for which reliable data is available. Estimates below national level are based on smaller sample sizes and should therefore be used with caution.

How much the Money and Pensions Service has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has contributed the following for homeworking equipment in each of the last three years: £59,658 in 2022/23, £103,604 in 2023/24, and £61,087 in 2024/25.

How much National Savings and Investments has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

National Savings and Investments (NS&I) is an office-based organisation with a UK presence across London, Lytham, Glasgow and Durham.The table below shows NS&I’s spending on home working equipment for each of the three previous financial years. NS&I provides this equipment in line with its regulatory duty to minimise the risk of preventable health issues during home working. YearSpend2022–23£6,312.792023–24£6,995.282024–25£4,291.95

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what dates the Chagos Contact Group (a) has met and (b) has plans to meet.

The Contact Group is part of this government's commitment to increase UK support to Chagossian communities. Its first meeting, which I attended, took place on 2 September 2025. The Contact Group will meet quarterly as part of wider engagement between the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Chagossians.

Innovation and Technology, if his Department has conducted an analysis of how many websites showing pornographic content have complied with the age verification requirement as set out in the Online Safety Act 2023.

Ofcom, the designated Online Safety Regulator under the Online Safety Act 2023, has stated that 6,000 sites allowing pornography and other adult content will start using "highly effective" tools to verify or estimate whether users were over or under the age of 18.

How many people have been charged with human trafficking offences in relation to small boat crossings in each of the last three years.

Human trafficking flagged prosecutions data, which includes offences committed under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and comparable offences committed prior to 2015, is published each quarter. The latest information was published on 17 July and can be found here. It is not possible to distil from this data whether any of these cases involved people who arrived in the UK on a small boat without conducting a manual review of cases which would incur a disproportionate cost.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) considers all cases referred to it by law enforcement. It has increased prosecutions for immigration related offences since the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force, which introduced a new offence of illegal arrival and increased sentencing for illegal entry and related offences and facilitation offences contained in the Immigration Act 1971.Organised crime groups are highly adaptable and are exploiting people for gain with no regard for their safety or our border controls. A multi-agency response is key to tackling this. The CPS plays an important part in the whole system response to organised immigration crime in the Border Security Command. The CPS has also increased engagement with overseas partners to maximise opportunities to collaborate on information and evidence gathering, to prosecute more swiftly.Under the Modern Slavery Action Plan, the Home Office has commissioned research to better understand the links between organised immigration crime and modern slavery.

If he will place an interim report in the House of Commons Library on the findings from the review of (a) blood and (b) urine tests taken from those servicemen who witnessed the tests in the 1950s of Britain's first nuclear weapons as soon as possible.

This Government is resetting the relationship with nuclear test veterans and those that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at points raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans' medical records. I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise. More information can be found in my statement to the House here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-06-30/hcws748 This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a Government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.

What steps she is taking to put in place a range of measures to verify the age of people arriving in the UK seeking asylum.

I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement I gave to the House on Tuesday 22 July.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of the use of national ID cards as a means of identifying (a) illegal immigrants, (b) fugitives and (c) agents of a foreign power.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

What assessment she has made of the level of teaching of the canon of English literature in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The national curriculum for English aims to ensure an appreciate of our rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems, and plays to foster the development of a lifelong love of literature.Maintained schools must follow the English programmes of study, and once passed, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will extend this requirement to academies.

What assessment she has made of the level of teaching of the works of William Shakespeare in secondary schools in England.

The national curriculum for English aims to ensure an appreciate of our rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems, and plays to foster the development of a lifelong love of literature.Maintained schools must follow the English programmes of study, and once passed, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will extend this requirement to academies.

How many people have been (a) charged with and (b) prosecuted for making fake passports in each of the past three years.

The requested information is not centrally held by the Home Office, and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support hedgehog conservation initiatives in Lincolnshire.

The Greater Lincolnshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) demonstrates strong local commitment to hedgehog conservation. Following online public consultation, where hedgehogs emerged as one of the most frequently mentioned priority species, the draft LNRS includes specific actions to support hedgehog recovery. These targeted measures include creating suitable feeding habitats, encouraging property owners to leave gaps in fencing to improve garden connectivity, and building hibernacula to provide essential winter shelter. Nationally, there are several projects underway which will enable the conservation of our hedgehogs. The first National Hedgehog Conservation Strategy has been published by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and The British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Natural England (NE), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Forestry England all contributed to the strategy, which highlights the factors causing a decline in native hedgehog populations. In addition, NE is co-funding the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme. The information gathered will also produce insights into the factors causing hedgehog population decline, leading to the implementation of practical conservation measures to address this challenge. These hedgehog-specific initiatives complement broader environmental improvements in Lincolnshire, including the designation of the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve - the first in the new King's Series. Such landscape-scale conservation efforts create the connected habitats that hedgehogs and other wildlife need to thrive.

If her Department will take (a) fiscal and (b) legislative steps to help prevent repeat offenders in the illicit tobacco market operating through high street retailers.

HMRC has a robust strategy to tackle the illicit tobacco trade. In July 2023, HMRC introduced a strengthened sanctions regime for breaches of the UK Tobacco Track and Trace System to combat illicit tobacco sales, particularly targeting repeat offenders operating through high street retailers. Powers introduced under the Finance Act 2022 enable HMRC to apply an escalating sanctions model based on both the frequency and severity of offences. Penalties include fines of up to £10,000, seizure of illicit products, and exclusion from the UK Tobacco Track and Trace system. New powers were also given to Trading Standards to make referrals to HMRC where they find evidence of high street retailers selling tobacco products that do not comply with the UK Tobacco Track and Trace System. HMRC is then able to apply the sanctions model as appropriate to tackle the non-compliance.

How much the Pension Protection Fund has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Over the period from 22/23 to 24/25, PPF spend on equipment to enable staff to work from home has been minimal (less than £1.5k over the period).

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to require local referenda for local government reorganisation proposals in Lincolnshire.

Local government reorganisation will deliver better outcomes for residents and save significant money which can be reinvested in public services. Simpler structures with fewer politicians can improve democratic accountability as residents know who to look to and it is clearer who is responsible for what We do not have any plans to require local referenda as part of the local government reorganisation process. Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, Parliament set out the statutory process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas. As set out in the invitation letter, areas must demonstrate how the local community has been engaged in developing proposals.

Innovation and Technology, how much the Intellectual Property Office has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Intellectual Property Office does not hold a complete central record of all spending on equipment to support home working as provision can be made utilising office surplus or stock equipment. Information is only centrally recorded where the individual costs exceed £500 or recorded as a reasonable adjustment in line with Health and Safety legislation for Occupational Health.The Office has spent the following on equipment for safe and productive home working:(i) 2022-23 = £27,069.13(ii) 2023-24 = £8250.11(iii) 2024-25 = Zero spendTo obtain comprehensive data for each of the last three years, it would be necessary to contact holders of asset registers across the organisation, which would not be possible within the timeframe for responding to a Written Parliamentary Question, and would incur a disproportionate cost.