Written questions by Hayes.

What the average time is to process a Personal Independence Payment appeal in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The average time to process a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeal for all PIP appeals in the South Holland and The Deepings constituency, since PIP was introduced, can be found in table 1 below. Table 1: The mean and median time to process an appeal from time of registration to the time of appeal clearance in weeksMean appeal processing time (weeks)Median appeal processing time (weeks)2319 Source: PIP Administrative data Notes:The appeal processing time is calculated as the time between the date of appeal registration and date of appeal clearance.Figures include appeals related to initial decisions (including new claims and DLA reassessments), award reviews and changes of circumstance.Figures include time taken by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to clear the case.Cases are counted if the claimant is resident in the constituency at the point of registering their claim.

How many VALOUR support centres for veterans he plans to locate in Lincolnshire.

This Government remains committed to delivering on our manifesto promise to ensure that veterans achieve the recognition, support and opportunities they deserve. That is why we recently launched VALOUR, our commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support. This will be an institutionally resilient system that will reform the system at the local, the regional, and the national level, ensuring that support is available across the country, and that it is tailored to the needs of veterans in the communities where they live. The first VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint as VALOUR is rolled out across the country next year. Details regarding the VALOUR development funding will be released in the coming months. Existing organisations will be able to apply for this funding and, if successful, will be recognised as a VALOUR support centre. This process will recognise existing best practice while maintaining agility and flexibility across the sector.

What information her Department holds on the services provided to irregular migrants by (a) South Holland District Council (b) South Kesteven District Council and (c) Lincolnshire County Council in the last two years.

The requested data is not held by the Home Office.

What information her Department holds on the number of fines that were issued to parents for unauthorised school absence in (a) South Holland District Council and (b) South Kesteven District Council in the last 12 months.

The information is not held by the department at local authority district level.Information on penalty notices for unauthorised absence is collected at local authority level. The latest available data, covering the 2023/24 academic year, is available in the parental responsibility measures statistical release, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures/2023-24.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 58153 on Windrush Commissioner: Finance, what budget will be available to the Windrush Commissioner.

On 16 June, we announced that Reverend Clive Foster MBE had been appointed to be the new Windrush Commissioner. He started his role on 30 June.Given this is a new appointment, we are discussing with the commissioner his priorities, his working arrangements and what he will need to support him in his role. Following these discussions, we will be in a position to produce a detailed budget, and will confirm this in the normal way in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of people granted asylum status who are living in the private rented sector.

My Department does not hold data on the number, or the proportion, of people granted asylum who are living in the private rented sector.

What estimate she has made of the (a) total cost to the public purse for, (b) proportion of her Department’s total expenditure that was spent on and (c) spend per head on transport infrastructure in (i) Lincolnshire and (ii) the East Midlands in the last ten years.

HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis: 2024 shows the following spend of public money on transport in the East Midlands region, for the five most recent years available. Historic data is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis. (a) Total cost to the public purse:The total identifiable expenditure on transport in the East Midlands for the five most recent years available (2019-20 to 2023-24) is as follows:2019-20: £1,449 million2020-21: £2,229 million2021-22: £1,799 million2022-23: £1,724 million2023-24: £1,838 million (b) Proportion of the Department’s total expenditure:The proportion of the Department for Transport’s total expenditure on transport in the East Midlands for the same period is as follows:2019-20: 5.3%2020-21: 5.4%2021-22: 4.9%2022-23: 4.6%2023-24: 4.6% (c) Spend per head:The expenditure per head on transport in the East Midlands for the same period is as follows:2019-20: £2992020-21: £4592021-22: £3682022-23: £3492023-24: £368 While the above statistics are only available at the regional level, examples of recent Government investment in the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) area include over £180 million from the Local Transport Grant, £73.5 million in local roads maintenance funding and £18.5 million in local authority bus funding.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to (a) maintain and (b) promote local green spaces in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The government is firmly committed to creating better access to parks and green spaces for all sections of society. Green spaces such as South Holland’s Ayscoughfee Gardens are an essential part of local social infrastructure which supports more connected, stronger communities. The MHCLG-owned Green Flag Award sets the national quality standard for parks and green spaces, the scheme aims to meet the needs of the communities they serve and has helped to transform thousands of parks and green spaces across the countryMHCLG has also established the Parks Working Group, which brings together sector experts with government officials to find innovative ways of managing parks, creating employment, hosting economic activities and encouraging inward investment. Finally, the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) allows communities to designate land as Local Green Space, in order to protect green areas that are important to them.

Whether the UK has imported (a) wood pellets and (b) other biomass from Afghanistan in the last 10 years.

The UK does not import wood pellets or biomass from Afghanistan for fuel or electricity generation. There are no plans to import wood pellets or biomass from Afghanistan.

Communities and Local Government, how many times the Islamophobia Definition Working Group has met.

The working group has met weekly since it was first established. The meetings included engagement with relevant stakeholders.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the carbon footprint of importing wood pellets in the last 10 years.

Emissions from importing wood pellets are constrained by biomass sustainability requirements. The supply chain emissions threshold for large scale biomass electricity generators to receive support is capped at 55.6gCO2e/MJ. This threshold will be tightened further under proposed future arrangements with Drax to 36.6 gCO2e/MJ. Compliance with sustainability criteria under the Renewables Obligation and Contracts for Difference schemes are a matter for Ofgem, as the independent energy regulator, and LCCC, as the counterparty to the CfD. Large scale biomass generators, such as Drax, do also publish emissions data as part of their annual ESG reports.

Whether (a) wood pellets and (b) other biomass has been imported from North Korea in the last 10 years.

The UK does not import wood pellets or biomass from North Korea for fuel or electricity generation. There are no plans to import wood pellets or biomass from North Korea.

Whether her Department plans to increase the level of support available to help schools meet the needs of pupils with learning disabilities in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The department wants to drive a consistent and inclusive approach to supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to achieve and thrive in mainstream settings through early identification, effective support, high-quality teaching and effective allocation of resources.We are engaging extensively with stakeholders, including our Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, on the best ways to drive inclusive practice and how to improve mainstream education outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND.Details of the government's intended approach to SEND reform will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

What steps she is taking to support the introduction of more vocational education pathways for students in Lincolnshire.

As announced in the Spending Review, the department is making over £1 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29. This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages, across the country including in Cambridgeshire. This includes:Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.T levels, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them work.Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focussed level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.Skills Bootcamps giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills with a job interview on completion and Free Courses for Jobs giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications. We have also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve access to sport for (a) children and (b) young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Every child should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport. On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and then set out further plans.In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for community sport, invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency to improve access to sport and physical activity.

How many asylum applications have been rejected on the grounds of dual nationality in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

If she will provide additional funding for pothole repair in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads. In 2025-26, we provided an additional £16 million to invest a total of £60 million in improving the condition of Lincolnshire County Council’s local highways. The Spending Review announced that the Government will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve roads across the country. This funding increase will significantly improve the long-term condition of England’s road network. Future funding allocations for local authorities and their highways, including Lincolnshire, will be announced in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the size of the badger population in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

The first major national badger population survey in a decade began in February, with the first round of fieldwork now concluded. Further surveying will resume later this year, to estimate badger abundance and population recovery.

How many asylum applications have been rejected on the grounds of unknown nationality in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The Home Office uses several processes and tools to identify a claimant’s nationality and other identifying features.

On what dates she has raised small boat crossings with the European Commission since 5 July 2024.

Home Office ministers and officials speak with overseas counterparts on a regular basis on a wide range of issues, including representatives of the European Commission.