Written questions by Hayes.

What is the total value of contracts awarded to Clearsprings Ready Homes in relation to housing asylum seekers since 2019.

The Contract Values for the AASC contracts, awarded by the previous government, to Clearsprings Ready Homes are £334,000,000 (Wales) and £662,000,000 (South).These values and further details are available publicly on Contracts Finder:AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder

When the Labour Market Evidence Group will be set up.

The Labour Market Evidence (LME) Group will be comprised of:• The Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, who are encouraged to focus on domestic recruitment and training;• The Department for Work and Pensions, tasked with reducing economic inactivity and increasing workforce participation;• Skills England and equivalent organisations in the Devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which will target training needs; and• The Migration Advisory Committee which will guide immigration policy.The LME Group will be set up in due course.

If she will publish membership of the Labour Market Evidence Group ahead of its establishment.

The Labour Market Evidence (LME) Group will be comprised of:• The Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, who are encouraged to focus on domestic recruitment and training;• The Department for Work and Pensions, tasked with reducing economic inactivity and increasing workforce participation;• Skills England and equivalent organisations in the Devolved Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which will target training needs; and• The Migration Advisory Committee which will guide immigration policy.The LME Group will be set up in due course.

What steps is she taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in her Department.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.Additionally, a new cross-government level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, the ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’, will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.The department also offers over 40 apprenticeship standards, from level 2 to level 7, as a development opportunity to all existing employees. Furthermore, most externally recruited entry grade vacancies are advertised as an apprenticeship. This ensures that we are also offering apprenticeships to external candidates, across most of our locations, as a route into the Civil Service.

What estimate she has made of the potential saving to the Exchequer of moving to a two-tier system for reserve renumeration.

The Chancellor regularly meets with the Governor of the Bank of England to discuss matters relating to economy and the Bank’s progress towards meeting its price stability targets. The government continues to support the Bank’s independence to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability, and there are no plans to change the way reserves are remunerated at the Bank of England. The government is providing the stability required for the MPC to bring interest rates down, by managing the public finances responsibly.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Governor of the Bank of England on moving to a two-tier system for reserve remuneration.

The Chancellor regularly meets with the Governor of the Bank of England to discuss matters relating to economy and the Bank’s progress towards meeting its price stability targets. The government continues to support the Bank’s independence to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability, and there are no plans to change the way reserves are remunerated at the Bank of England. The government is providing the stability required for the MPC to bring interest rates down, by managing the public finances responsibly.

What steps he is taking to help support healthcare services to (a) recruit and (b) retain speech therapists in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skills mix, to deliver safe and effective care.The Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure that we retain more of our skilled and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 on guidance issued by NHS England on cervical screening.

The Government welcomes the Supreme Court ruling and the clarity it brings for women and service providers.NHS England is working at pace to review the relevant guidance and will update them where necessary to ensure compliance with the ruling.

What recent steps she has taken to reduce fraudulent claims for student loans.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has asked the Public Sector Fraud Authority to coordinate action against the threat of the student funding system being exploited. The department will act on its findings and take quick decisions on whether we need to make more fundamental changes to the system.There is a programme of investigations underway between the department and the Office for Students. Where investigations find abuse of the student finance system there will be serious consequences. The department will always take steps to recover student funding that has been paid in respect of students who have, for example, not been attending their courses. Depending on the precise circumstances, recovery will be pursued either from the institution or the student.The Student Loans Company (SLC) is responsible for processing student funding loan applications and delivering student funding in line with student support regulations.The SLC continues to monitor student funding applications for suspicious activity and will investigate where there are any concerns around individual applications or a collection of funding applications. Where fraudulent claims are identified, the SLC follows its published sanctions model which can result in individuals being ‘unfitted’ for support, and/or report to Cifas, a fraud prevention service in the United Kingdom.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an illicit tobacco taskforce.

In the illicit tobacco strategy titled ‘Stubbing out the problem’, the Government committed to establishing a multi-agency illicit tobacco taskforce to co-ordinate enforcement activity, involving staff from HMRC, Border Force and Trading Standards and working closely with other law enforcement and intelligence partners.This team is now in place and contributing to efforts to tackle illicit tobacco across all relevant departments.

What steps his Department is taking to improve diagnosis time for young people with cancer in Lincolnshire.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, including children and young people. To achieve this, the NHS has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with cancer. The taskforce is exploring opportunities for improvement across genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, patient experience, and early detection and diagnosis.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients, including for children and young people with cancer, and will highlight how the Department will support the NHS to improve diagnosis rates for people in all parts of England, including Lincolnshire.

What steps he is taking to help improve early (a) detection and (b) diagnosis of raised cholesterol levels in Lincolnshire.

The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, plays an important role in detecting people aged 40 to 74 years old with high cholesterol and engages over 1.4 million people a year. Annually, through the NHS Health Check, approximately 900,000 people are found to have raised cholesterol levels.During 2023/24, the number of people in Lincolnshire who received an NHS Health Check reached its highest level since the programme’s delivery was paused due to COVID-19 in 2020. To further improve access and engagement with the programme, we are developing a new NHS Health Check Online service that people can use at home to understand and act on their CVD risk.Data on the early detection and diagnosis of raised cholesterol levels is not collected at an integrated care board level.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Charity Commission on whether it plans to amend its policy on the use of women-only spaces in its buildings by transgender women following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers should note and follow the ruling.It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.The Equality & Human Rights Commission, as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. The Charity Commission for England and Wales will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission. In relation to this specific judgement, the Commission is considering the implications, including what this means for its buildings.

What steps he is taking to help improve early (a) detection and (b) diagnosis of high blood pressure in Lincolnshire.

The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, plays an important role in detecting high blood pressure in people aged 40 to 74 years old, and engages 1.4 million people a year. Each year, 343,000 cases of high blood pressure are identified, resulting in 40,000 diagnoses of high blood pressure.The latest published Quality Outcomes Framework data shows that the number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2023/24 for the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) was 18.34%, the highest recorded prevalence for any ICB in the country, and is compared to a 14.79% national average.Over 90% of community pharmacies in the NHS Lincolnshire ICB are providing the NHS Community Pharmacy Blood Pressure Check Service. The ICB is also participating in the national blood pressure pilot in dentistry and optometry, aimed at detecting high blood pressure early in people who might not regularly visit their general practice, but who do attend dental or optometry appointments.

Communities and Local Government, what the total cost to the public purse was for the creation of the Greater Lincolnshire combined county authority.

The costs of establishing and running Mayoral Combined (County) Authorities are managed by its constituent councils and the Authority itself once established. Government provides support to help with these costs. For Greater Lincolnshire the government provided £500k Mayoral Capacity Funding in 2024-25. There are considerable benefits for Greater Lincolnshire from the devolution agreement, which include £24 million a year investment funding for 30 years, and the transport and adult skills budgets that were previously controlled from Whitehall.

If she will make an assessment of which nationalities are most likely to overstay their visa.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders, and published a white paper on Immigration on 12th May setting out our proposed reforms in a range of areas, including overstaying of visas.

How much ketamine by (a) volume and (b) value has been seized in the UK over the last 12 months.

The Home Office latest published data on amphetamine, ketamine and MDMA seizures made by the police and Border Force for England and Wales covers the period April 2023-March 2024 and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2024The Home Office does not publish the monetary (£) value of drugs seized. In the year ending March 2024, the latest published statistics show that police forces and Border Force seized:2,337 amphetamine seizures, totalling 285 kg2,252 ketamine seizures, totalling 855 kg1,919 MDMA seizures, totalling 1.6 tonnesBorder Force also publish quarterly transparency data which includes amphetamine, ketamine and MDMA seizures, and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2024Please find below the relevant statistics from the Q4 Border Force transparency data publication. 2023 Q42024 Q12024 Q22024 Q3TotalAmphetamines (KG)13.0913.705.9025.7558.44Ketamine (KG)152.08311.80100.33419.40983.61MDMA (Ecstasy) (Dose 000s)466.80241.33284.16219.451,211.73

What steps her Department is taking to increase access to special educational needs assessments in Lincolnshire.

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.Through a graduated approach, teachers are responsible for monitoring the progress of all pupils and putting support in place where needed. Where a child who has special educational needs (SEN) needs more support than their school can usually provide, schools, parents or carers can ask the local authority to carry out an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment.Local authorities must conduct EHC needs assessment if a child or young person has or may have SEN and it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made in accordance with an EHC plan.The department recognises the critical role of educational psychologists within the SEND system, including their statutory contribution to EHC assessments. The department is investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from 2024, building on the £10 million currently being invested in a cohort of over 200 trainees who began their training in 2023. Trainees will join the workforce to support the capacity of local authority educational psychology services, including in delivering assessments.A joint local area SEND inspection of Lincolnshire Local Area Partnership (LAP) was undertaken by Ofsted/CQC in February 2025, and the report is expected to be published imminently. Following publication, the LAP will be required to update their strategic plan, and the department’s regional team will put in place systems to track outcomes against any areas for improvement identified by inspectors, and the progress made by children and young people with SEND.

How much amphetamine by (a) volume and (b) value has been seized in the UK over the last 12 months.

The Home Office latest published data on amphetamine, ketamine and MDMA seizures made by the police and Border Force for England and Wales covers the period April 2023-March 2024 and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2024The Home Office does not publish the monetary (£) value of drugs seized. In the year ending March 2024, the latest published statistics show that police forces and Border Force seized:2,337 amphetamine seizures, totalling 285 kg2,252 ketamine seizures, totalling 855 kg1,919 MDMA seizures, totalling 1.6 tonnesBorder Force also publish quarterly transparency data which includes amphetamine, ketamine and MDMA seizures, and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2024Please find below the relevant statistics from the Q4 Border Force transparency data publication. 2023 Q42024 Q12024 Q22024 Q3TotalAmphetamines (KG)13.0913.705.9025.7558.44Ketamine (KG)152.08311.80100.33419.40983.61MDMA (Ecstasy) (Dose 000s)466.80241.33284.16219.451,211.73

How much MDMA by (a) volume and (b) value has been seized in the UK over the last 12 months.

The Home Office latest published data on amphetamine, ketamine and MDMA seizures made by the police and Border Force for England and Wales covers the period April 2023-March 2024 and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2024The Home Office does not publish the monetary (£) value of drugs seized. In the year ending March 2024, the latest published statistics show that police forces and Border Force seized:2,337 amphetamine seizures, totalling 285 kg2,252 ketamine seizures, totalling 855 kg1,919 MDMA seizures, totalling 1.6 tonnesBorder Force also publish quarterly transparency data which includes amphetamine, ketamine and MDMA seizures, and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2024Please find below the relevant statistics from the Q4 Border Force transparency data publication. 2023 Q42024 Q12024 Q22024 Q3TotalAmphetamines (KG)13.0913.705.9025.7558.44Ketamine (KG)152.08311.80100.33419.40983.61MDMA (Ecstasy) (Dose 000s)466.80241.33284.16219.451,211.73