Written questions by Hayes.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle fake adverts for the sale of farm machinery.

Under the Online Safety Act, user-to-user services and search services in scope must respectively prevent and minimise illegal fraudulent content from appearing on their platforms and swiftly remove it if it does. Services designated as Category 1 or 2A (the largest user-to-user and search services) will have additional duties to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising, either where it appears on their service or is accessed in or via search results.Work has also begun to develop a new Fraud Strategy, with Ministers working closely with law enforcement, consumer groups and business on how to best defeat this epidemic and protect the public.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the energy efficiency of older housing stock in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future, including those within the South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire. The Government will partner with combined authorities and local and devolved governments to roll out this plan. We are investing £13.2 billion to help upgrade millions of homes and cut energy bills for families across the country to tackle to cost of living crisis. Further details on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out in due course.

How many people are eligible for free travel under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme due to disability in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of people eligible for free travel under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme due to disability at any geographic level.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of adult social care provision in Lincolnshire.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is now assessing how local authorities in England, including Lincolnshire County Council, are delivering adult social care. This means they are looking at how local authorities are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. If the CQC identifies a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has powers to intervene. The CQC's assessments of local authorities began in December 2023, following the conclusion of five pilot assessments undertaken by the CQC in November 2023, to test their assessment framework and methodology. Lincolnshire County Council was one of the local authorities that took part in the CQC’s pilots and was given an indicative rating of ‘Good’. Their report can be found on the CQC’s website, at the following link: https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports/lincolnshire-cc

If she will make it her policy that the people manning the engines of asylum boats are refused asylum.

Under existing legislation, an individual convicted of a particularly serious crime, resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and who is considered a danger to the UK, will be denied asylum and will be considered for removal from the UK.With the passage of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the maximum sentence for facilitating a breach of immigration law, or “facilitation”, was raised to life in prison. Small boats pilots fall into this category of offender so aggravated cases, where there is an elevated level of harm and / or culpability identified, will likely receive a sentence in excess of 12 months. In cases where there is insufficient evidence to secure a facilitation charge, it is highly likely that a prosecution for illegal arrival will be sought. Similarly, in higher-end cases, the sentence for this will also likely be over 12 months on conviction.

How many driving test examiners have been hired by the DVSA in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

The attached Excel document shows the number of driving examiners that have left and started at driving test centres in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has allocated to grassroots sports clubs in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the last 2 years.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from high-quality sport facilities, which offer the chance to be physically active.The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.The constituency of South Holland and the Deepings received a total of £14,473 of funding through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in the last 2 funding years. More information about this funding can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2021-to-2025

How many driving test examiners have left the DVSA in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

The attached Excel document shows the number of driving examiners that have left and started at driving test centres in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands in the last five years.

If he will place in the Library a list of the (a) titles, (b) file names and (c) dates of creation of each document held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the Merlin database.

Officials are working at pace to formally transfer the records on the Merlin database to The National Archives (TNA), whilst ensuring that sensitive information is protected in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and national security requirements. Once transferred, the records will be listed and accessible on TNA’s website.

What budget will be available to the Windrush Commissioner.

The budget allocation for the Windrush Commissioner will be formally agreed once the Commissioner has been appointed.

How much funding he has allocated for additional dental appointments since 5 July 2024.

NHS England is responsible for issuing guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on dental budgets, including ringfences. NHS England’s Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets out the funding available to ICBs and confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.Dental contracts have been persistently underdelivering on National Health Service commitments, and the Government is focusing on action to enable all the available budget to be spent on dentistry.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Whether it remains his Department's policy to introduce mobile dental vans in areas of need.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The decision about whether to commission dental vans should be made locally by integrated care boards. Local areas know the needs of their population best and are best placed to make decisions about whether or how mobile dental vans can contribute to meeting the dental care needs of their population.

How many people have been prosecuted for driving with excessively bright lights in the last ten years.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences including motoring offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.However, the data do not identify cases as a result of illegally tinted windows, excessively bright lights, or excessively noisy exhausts.

How many people have been prosecuted for driving with illegal tinted windows in the last ten years.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences including motoring offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.However, the data do not identify cases as a result of illegally tinted windows, excessively bright lights, or excessively noisy exhausts.

What plans his Department has to improve access to paediatric eye care services in Lincolnshire.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services, including paediatric eye care services, in their areas to meet patient needs.Free National Health Service sight tests also continue to be available for children under 16 years old, and for those under 19 years old and in full time education. We are not aware of any issues with access to NHS sight testing services.

How many and what proportion of people who are eligible for automatic release from prison after serving 50 per cent of their sentence were convicted of (a) actual bodily harm and (b) grievous bodily harm.

Many offenders who commit these types of offences are subject to two-thirds release provisions, and others are subject to 50% depending on their specific circumstances and sentencing outcomes. Establishing who is released at exactly 50% would require examination of individual records and therefore comes at disproportionate cost.

How many cars have been seized for illegal tinted windows in the last ten years.

The requested data is not centrally held, and could only be collated and verified at disproportionate cost.

How many people have been prosecuted for driving with excessively noisy exhausts in the last ten years.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences including motoring offences at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.However, the data do not identify cases as a result of illegally tinted windows, excessively bright lights, or excessively noisy exhausts.

How many asylum seekers are being housed in houses of multiple occupation in Lincolnshire.

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.

How many higher education students have claimed asylum in the final six months of their course in each of the last five years.

Available data on the ‘Source of asylum claims in 2024’ was published by the Home Office on 30th March 2025.