Written questions by Hayes.

What plans she has to provide funding for the expansion of electric vehicle chargepoints in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Government’s £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund supports local authorities to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking across England. Lincolnshire County Council, which South Holland and The Deepings sit within, has been allocated £6,380,592 capital and resource funding through the LEVI Fund to expand local public chargepoints.

Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on the use of artificial intelligence to (a) address safety concerns and (b) ensure its responsible (i) development and (ii) deployment in the UK.

The Government has set out its intention to deliver on the manifesto commitment to introduce new, binding requirements on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI models.These proposals will build on the voluntary commitments secured at the Seoul and Bletchley AI Summits and will place the AI Safety Institute on a permanent footing, strengthening its role in advancing AI Safety.The government recognises how important safety and trust is to capture AI opportunities. The AI Opportunities Action Plan recommends supporting AISI, strengthening regulators’ AI capabilities and supporting the AI assurance ecosystem to increase trust in AI.

If he will set targets to reduce memory clinic waiting times in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The national target for dementia diagnosis is 66.7%, with Lincolnshire at 67.8%. Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has received funding to introduce a specific pathway for memory assessments, which will help tackle local waiting times for assessment and diagnosis of conditions such as dementia, and work is underway to finalise the model of care and launch towards the end of the financial year.There is a review of current Memory Assessment Service waiting lists to identify referrals from 24-hour care settings that can be targeted via Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate (DiADeM). The trust will train selected staff in DiADeM to undertake assessment of these identified cohorts from waiting lists in the fourth quarter of 2023/24, including staff in primary care, namely Enhanced Health in Care Homes teams.The South Holland and The Deepings constituency is split across two Older People Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT), Stamford and Spalding CMHTs. The average wait to first appointment across the two CMHTs is 10 weeks. From January 2025, there will be two Memory Assessment Practitioners aligned to Spalding and one aligned to Stamford. This allocation is reviewed every eight weeks to ensure areas with the longest waits are targeted.

If she will commission a review into the reasons that teachers have left that profession in the last 10 years.

Driving high and rising standards is central to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child relies on a highly skilled workforce in schools, with high-quality teaching the in-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education. This is why we are committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across our schools, both mainstream and specialist, and our colleges over the course of this Parliament to ensure every child has the qualified expert teacher they need. A successful recruitment strategy starts with a retention strategy, and we continuously review what works best in retaining teachers and the barriers to retention. The department collects data on teachers’ and leaders’ intention to leave the profession, and reasons for having left, through the Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders (WLTL) longitudinal study. The department uses the study’s findings to design policies that better support teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders. The study is accessible at the following link: https://www.workinglivesofteachers.com/. The WLTL study findings show that teachers most commonly leave, or consider leaving, the profession due to high workload, followed by stress and/or poor wellbeing. We are committed to working with the sector to address these issues. The department has made available a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing. The department’s ‘improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, helps schools to cut unnecessary workload. It can be accessed at: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/. In addition, the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, co-created with the sector, sets out commitments from government, Ofsted, schools, and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. Over 3,900 schools and colleges have signed up to the Charter. The WLTL findings also show that teachers consider leaving, or do leave, due to pressures related to inspection and pupil outcomes. We are introducing a school report card in place of Ofsted single headline grades to deliver more information for parents on the strengths and weaknesses of schools and proportionate accountability for staff. The independent School Teacher Review Body (STRB) suggested that government should consider the removal of performance related pay (PRP) in favour of enabling schools to decide on appropriate forms of appraisal which has been taken forward. Former teachers surveyed cited dissatisfaction with pay as a reason they left the profession. This government has accepted the STRB’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September.For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the department is also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support the retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most. Former teachers also cited a lack of flexible working opportunities as a reason for leaving the profession. The department has published a flexible working toolkit, which includes practical resources to help school leaders implement flexible working and to support school staff to request it. It is accessible here: https://www.flexibleworkingineducation.co.uk/dfe-toolkit. These resources have been produced by school leaders and other sector experts, together with the department. We have also clarified that teachers can undertake their planning, preparation and assessment time at home.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the English Devolution White Paper on the delivery of public services in Lincolnshire.

Subject to the relevant Statutory Instrument being made, Greater Lincolnshire will elect a Mayor in May 2025. The Mayor and Combined County Authority will receive the additional funding and powers associated with the Mayoral Strategic Authority level of devolution as set out in the White Paper, including on adult education and employment support, transport, and planning. As previously agreed, they will also receive a mayoral investment fund of £24 million a year for 30 years. Transferring funding and powers from Westminster will give an elected local leader the tools they need to kick start the local economy and improve vital public services across Lincolnshire.The White Paper also announced a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas. Unitarisation can lead to better outcomes for residents, and save significant money which can be reinvested in public services.

What her Department's definition of gender identity is.

The Office for Equality and Opportunity does not have its own definition of gender identity.

If she will introduce an exemption from changes to employer National Insurance contributions for (a) small and (b) local charities.

The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs. All charities are eligible for the Employment Allowance, even if they are wholly or mainly carrying out functions of a public nature.The UK tax regime for charities, including an exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world with tax reliefs for charities and their donors, worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

How many and what proportion of people convicted for shoplifting offences reoffended within (a) 12 months and (b) two years in each of the last five years.

The proven reoffending rate for the adult cohort convicted of shoplifting offences between 2017/18 and 2021/22 (the latest year for which reoffending data is available) can be found in the table below, along with the number of offenders and reoffenders included in this cohort. The proven reoffending rate is calculated using a 12-month follow up period.Table 1: Rate of reoffending for adults convicted of shoplifting offences in England and Wales in 12-month follow up period, across the past five years Apr 17 – Mar 18Apr 18 - Mar 19Apr 19 -Mar 20Apr 20 -Mar 21Apr 21 - Mar 22Proportion of offenders who reoffend (%)59.058.254.854.060.3Number of offenders in cohort41,22235,15928,79016,03615,358Number of reoffenders24,30520,46315,7748,6619,265The proven reoffending methodology is complex and based on a one-year reoffending rate. Providing this information for a new 2-year reoffending measure would be of disproportionate cost.

How much was paid in bonuses to staff in his Department in 2024.

Details of staff bonuses are published on an annual basis for each financial year. The data for 2023/24 is available on gov.uk. Data for 2024/25 will be published later this year, after the end of the financial year.

What steps he is taking to improve the availability of GP appointments in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

We are committed to improving capacity and access to local services across the country, including in South Holland and Deepings. That is why, in October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified general practitioners (GPs) across England. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in general practice, which will benefit thousands of patients that are struggling to care the care they desperately need. This will also secure the future supply of GPs and take pressure off those currently working in the system.We will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly, improving continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer A&E attendances.Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract for 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. We are currently consulting the profession on key proposals to improve access, continuity of care and GP recruitment.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the funding gap for district councils in Lincolnshire in the next two years.

The provisional Settlement for 2025-26 makes available £69 billion for local government, which is a 3.5% real terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. The final Settlement will increase further, to incorporate the £515 million of funding announced for National Insurance Contributions.The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.Future funding for local government and the timings of the Local Government Finance Settlement are bound by the spending review cycle. The government has committed to a multi-year Spending Review in Spring 2025. We are committed to delivering the first multi-year Settlement in 10 years in 2026-27, which will distribute funding based on an updated assessment of need. We are fully consulting with the sector on our funding reform proposals.

What recent steps she has taken to ensure school uniform is affordable.

The cost of school uniform, particularly of branded items, remains a key concern for parents. Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded uniform items despite statutory guidance stating branded items should be kept to a minimum. Currently 24% of primary and 71% of secondary schools still require five or more branded items, with some parents saying they were asked to provide 10 or more.This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and physical education kit that schools can require to bring down costs for parents and remove barriers from children accessing sport and other school activities. This will give parents more choice in where to purchase uniform and allow them greater flexibility to make the spending decisions that suit their circumstances.

How many people arriving on small boats died in the English channel in each of the last three years.

A total of 138 people are known to have died since August 2019 as a result of attempting to cross the Channel by small boat.Almost all of these fatalities have occurred in French territorial waters, and the records of these held by the Home Office are primarily from information shared by the French authorities. The numbers of fatalities known to have occurred in the past three calendar years are as follows:2022 – 42023 – 122024 – 78

When Ministers in her Department held meetings on grooming gangs in the last five years; and who the external attendees at those meetings were.

It is not for this Government to comment on meetings held by previous Government ministers, but I would refer the Rt Hon Member to the quarterly publications of transparency data on ministerial meetings available on the Home Office website.Since coming to office in July, current Home Office Ministers have been prioritising engagement with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation, child protection organisations, law enforcement partners, members of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and colleagues across Government to further strengthen the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation.Whilst not always published as some are internal meetings, I can assure the Rt Hon Member that I have taken meetings every single week on this subject since my appointment as a Minister. I have also convened the first dedicated cross-Government group to drive forward change in this crucial area.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing patient records of diagnostic results held by charities to be consolidated in a central NHS database.

Patient records in the National Health Service are held in different systems, including general practice IT systems, and electronic patient records held by trusts.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record that both empowers patients by giving them access to their records, and gives professionals access to the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment. We have begun engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would want to see included in a single record.

How many times Ministers across Government have communicated with the President-Elect's transition team since 6 November 2024.

The department does not intend to publish this information, for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2024 to Question 8756 on Polygamy, if she will make it her policy to record data on polygamous marriages in the UK.

I refer the Hon.Member to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question UIN 15076.

With reference to her Department's plan to include a named, contactable police officer in each neighbourhood, how her Department defines neighbourhood.

As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, the Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This will set out what communities can expect from neighbourhood policing teams in every local area including intelligence-led and visible patrols.The Home Office is working closely with policing and other key stakeholders to implement the Guarantee, and is clear that everyone, wherever they are in the country, will benefit from it and will have a named officer to contact when things go wrong.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to make recycling easier for residents in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

The Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms will ensure that across England, every citizen will be able to recycle the same materials, no longer needing to check what their council will accept for recycling. This policy will make recycling easier and ensure there is a comprehensive, consistent service across England. This will reduce confusion with recycling to improve recycling rates, ensuring there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and that the UK recycling industry will grow. Every household and non-household municipal premises (such as businesses, schools, and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic; paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). Simpler Recycling will be implemented on a phased timeline, beginning from 31 March 2025 for non-household premises and 31 March 2026 for households.

How many (a) reports of and (b) convictions for shoplifting there were in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire in each of the last three years.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of notifiable offences, including motor vehicle theft and shoplifting offences, recorded by the police in England and Wales, at the Police Force Area level and the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Area level. This information is published on a quarterly basis, and can be accessed here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThe Home Office does not collect information at the Parliamentary Constituency level.