Written questions by Hayes.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the police allocation formula on (a) policing and (b) crime in Lincolnshire.

On 19th November, the Home Secretary announced that government funding for policing will increase by over half a billion pounds next year; this includes an increase of over £260m in the core grant for police forces, additional funding for neighbourhood policing, the NCA and counter terrorism.Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase two of the Spending Review where we will want to consider police funding in the round.

What estimate he has made of the anticipated total cost of compensation for legal claims brought by Nuclear Test Veterans.

The claims from Nuclear Test Veterans are at the pre-action stage. It is for the Claimants’ legal representatives to formulate their case against the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in court should they wish to proceed. The MOD is not able to estimate the value of compensation claimed without an indication of the level of damages sought by the prospective Claimants.

How many pupils in primary schools in England were suspended in each of the last three academic years.

The department publishes figures from the school census on suspensions and permanent exclusions from state-funded schools in England. The most recent release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england.The number of pupil enrolments in primary schools with one or more suspensions for the 2020/21 to 2022/23 academic years, which is the latest data available, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/40b7a1f8-c523-4d20-d522-08dd12dee30d.For 2020/21, while suspensions and permanent exclusions were possible throughout the academic year, pandemic restrictions will have had an impact on the numbers presented, so caution should be taken when comparing across years.

What steps he is taking to support veterans in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire with (i) housing and (ii) education and skills training.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, no matter which community they are based in. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those throughout South Holland and the Deepings and Lincolnshire get access to housing, employment and other support they need. Op FORTITUDE is a single referral pathway available across the United Kingdom that provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 30 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and 822 veterans have been supported into housing. The Prime Minister announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme and Op FORTITUDE, ensuring that support will be there for veterans at risk of homelessness. This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England. There is also a range of skills and education support available to veterans, including via the Career Transition Partnership, which supports those in search of new job and education opportunities. Additional support is available to veterans and their families via a sector-based employment pathway, which offers employment and career progression support, including access to qualifications and training, at any stage in their lives after leaving service. Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network, providing tailored advice and employability support to members of the armed forces community.

What steps he is taking to reduce the (a) risk of and (b) impact from fires in agricultural vehicles.

The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out the essential requirements that must be met before a machinery product is placed on the UK market, in order to protect users of that machinery from any undue harm. This includes agricultural vehicles in scope. As part of those existing requirements, machinery must be designed and constructed in such a way as to avoid any risk of fire or overheating posed by the machinery itself or by gases, liquids, dust, vapours or other substances produced or used by the machinery.

How many justices of the peace served at Boston Magistrates court in each of the last five years.

HMCTS deploys Magistrates (Justices of the Peace) who are allocated to a bench and are then placed on a rota to sit as a panel. Boston Magistrates would be served by the Lincolnshire Bench and the numbers on that bench are below for the period stated:YearNo. of Magistrates1/4/24 – 3/12/241701/4/23- 31/3/241821/4/22- 31/3/231611/4/21 – 31/3/221581/4/20 – 31/3/211591/4/19 – 31/3/20174

Food and Rural Affairs, how many fixed penalty notices have been handed out for littering in (a) Lincolnshire and (a) England in each of the last five years.

Defra does not hold data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering or spitting.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many fixed penalty notices have been handed out for spitting in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Defra does not hold data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering or spitting.

How many age assessments of people arriving on small boats and seeking asylum have taken place in each of the last three years.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on age disputes for all individuals with asylum claims raised and resolved is published in table Asy_D05 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to help ensure that district councils receive business rates from (a) all energy infrastructure and (b) sub stations located within their boundaries.

District councils collect and retain a share of Business Rates in their local area where properties are in the local list. Where a property is found to cross local authority boundaries, the Valuation Office Agency follow legislation which stipulates that the VOA assess which local authority is considered to contain the greatest amount of rateable value and allocate the business rates for the whole property to this authority.

What steps the Border Security Command is taking to assess the age of asylum seekers arriving on small boats.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Answer I gave on 4 December to Question UIN 16274.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on the NHS budget.

Now that Parliament has voted to give the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill a Second Reading, the Government will assess the impacts of the bill and publish these in due course.This continues to be a matter for Parliament and, as the bill progresses, Members of Parliament, both Honourable and Right Honourable, will further debate and scrutinise the legislation and the Government will respect Parliament’s will.

How many full time equivalent staff are employed by the Race Equality Unit.

There is currently a total of 7 full time equivalent staff within the Race Equality Unit.

Media and Sport, whether external (a) guidance and (b) training has been contracted for discussing (i) unconscious bias, (ii) critical race theory and (iii) decolonisation with staff in her Department.

The information requested is not centrally held.However, Ministers believe that the application of critical race theory threatens to undermine integration and community cohesion, by exaggerating differences within local communities. Instead, we should be seeking to build and strengthen a shared local and national identity across class, colour and creed.The Government has a plan for an Inclusive Britain which will address the causes for racial disparity, which are complex and are not always caused by discrimination or prejudice. The central mission of our approach is to improve people’s lives, and to do that we need to address the root causes of the disparities that they face.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of people working illegally in the food and drink sector.

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman. Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people working illegally in nail bars in England and Wales.

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK, including the sectors highlighted by the Rt Hon Gentleman. Since this government came to office, Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation teams have charged six individuals with employing illegal workers, compared to just four in the previous two and a half years combined. Those six charges may represent progress on the dismal record of inaction seen under the previous government, but they still add up to an unacceptably low rate of enforcement against businesses employing, and in many cases exploiting, illegal workers, and we are therefore determined to go further over the coming months and years.As part of this, we are also determined to establish a more comprehensive, accurate and up to date evidence base of the scale and nature of illegal working in the UK, which we hope will in due course allow us to provide robust answers to the questions raised by the Rt Hon Gentleman concerning the estimates of the number of people working illegally in specific, high-risk sectors and industries.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a horticulture strategy for England.

We appreciate the vital work of the horticulture industry and recognise that a long-term vision would recognise the specific needs and huge diversity of the sector.As part of our mission-driven government, and in partnership with the sector, we are considering a number of ways to ensure our strategic approach to horticulture aligns with wider Government ambitions for the food system and represents the unique needs of the sector. This includes a 25-year Farming Roadmap, which we will work with horticulture growers to develop a forward-looking plan for farming, making the sector more profitable and sustainable in the decades to come.

If she will make an assessment of potential impact of reopening Littleworth Railway station at Deeping St Nicholas on the local economy.

The Government believes that local transport authorities and local leaders are best placed to prioritise and take forward transport projects which are most appropriate for the areas they serve.Reopening Littleworth railway station is currently not a government priority and our focus remains on improving the reliability of the existing network.

If she will hold discussions with the Office for National Statistics on the reliability of its immigration statistics.

The development of the long-term international migration statistics are a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). The UK Statistics Authority oversees the quality and reliability of national statistics. The ONS’ migration statistics are ‘Official Statistics in Development’, meaning they are tested with a wide range of users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

If she will make an assessment of the potential economic merits of existing East Midlands rail services stopping at (a) Deeping St Nicholas and (b) Donington.

The Department has no current plans for an economic assessment into the re-opening of stations at Deeping St Nicholas (Littleworth) or Donington (Donington Road).