Written questions by Hayes.

Media and Sport, whether her department has paid for followers on social media platforms it uses.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not paid for followers on any of its corporate social media accounts.

How many post office branches have (a) opened and (b) closed in Lincolnshire since 2016.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Rt Hon. gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 23rd March is attached.

Whether his department has paid for followers on social media platforms it uses.

The department has not paid for followers on its social media platforms.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle illegal waste sites in Lincolnshire.

The Waste Crime Action Plan is the toughest ever crackdown on illegal waste. We will tighten regulation to close the loopholes criminals exploit, enable tougher enforcement to disrupt and punish them, and direct action to clean up the damage they leave behind. The Environment Agency (EA) takes a proactive, intelligence led approach to preventing illegal waste activity in Lincolnshire. Through the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership – which includes 24 partner organisations - the EA builds a comprehensive picture of waste crime risks across the county. This early intervention model enables the EA and its partners to identify emerging threats, disrupt criminal behaviour at an early stage, and prevent many potential illegal waste sites from becoming established. Where the EA is made aware of an active illegal waste site, it acts swiftly to halt the activity and, where necessary, put measures in place to mitigate environmental harm. Officers then compile a detailed evidence base, which may include surveillance, document seizure, witness statements and digital or financial analysis, before determining the appropriate enforcement action. Thanks to this proactive approach, only 27 illegal waste sites in Lincolnshire required enforcement action in 2024/25; without it, this figure would almost certainly have been significantly higher.

Communities and Local Government, how many households were living in temporary accommodation in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in each year since 2020.

The government collects data on the number of people in temporary accommodation as a quarterly snapshot. To compare the number of the number of people in temporary accommodation in South Holland and Deepings and Lincolnshire year-on-year, you can compare the latest data from 30 September 2025 here with the same day in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

How much and what proportion of funding for low-income oil heating households through the Crisis and Resilience Fund will be allocated to (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

In England, £27 million of funding will be delivered via the Crisis and Resilience Fund to support low-income households reliant on oil for heating. This is in addition to £842 million a year that has already been committed through the Crisis and Resilience Fund at Spending Review 2025, which all unitary and upper tier authorities in England will receive to support vulnerable and low-income households facing financial shocks, including rising essential costs such as energy.Lincolnshire has been allocated £1,825,511 to distribute to households the local authority considers most in need. This represents 7% of the £27 million of funding available in England. Allocations have been published on gov.uk (Crisis and Resilience fund to support low-income heating oil households).Local authorities have flexibility to apply their own discretion when determining eligibility for their Crisis Payment schemes, including how to best target support towards households in most need of help to pay for heating oil. The amount of funding that will be spent in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency is therefore at the discretion of the local authority.

Communities and Local Government, how many new shared ownership homes were built in Lincolnshire in each of the last ten years.

The number of shared ownership new build completions, as well as new delivery through acquisitions, is available in the Affordable Housing Supply open data found on gov.uk here. The data is available by financial year only.

What steps his Department and NHS England are taking to ensure that (a) patients with acquired brain injuries (ABI) currently resident at the Kemsley Division of St Andrews Hospital are transferred to settings with the appropriate expertise in neuropsychiatry, ABI and neurorehabilitation required to meet their needs and (b) Integrated Care Boards have access to sufficient specialist knowledge to safeguard this patient cohort during the transition.

Securing appropriate placements and clinical support for patients sits with the relevant integrated care boards (ICBs), which commission and fund the individual packages of care. NHS England’s regional specialised commissioning teams work closely with ICBs to provide clinical oversight and advice, including on the neuropsychiatric and neuro‑rehabilitation needs of patients with acquired brain injury. This includes supporting commissioners to identify suitable services, ensuring placements meet required clinical standards, and advising on safe transition planning from the independent sector.ICBs remain accountable for arranging and maintaining placements that provide the right multidisciplinary expertise. NHS England engages with local systems, including in Northampton, to ensure that any moves are clinically appropriate, safe, and consistent with national expectations for specialised neurological care.

How much her Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

How much her Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support younger people into agricultural careers in Lincolnshire.

Young people are essential to the long-term resilience of UK agriculture, and Defra works closely with industry bodies, including the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC), to promote careers in the sector and to understand the challenges facing new entrants. Defra provides funding to NFYFC, enabling up to £30,000 per year for specific project-based activity. This supports capacity building within the NFYFC membership and helps to engage the next generation of farmers in the development of agricultural policy and resilient land-based businesses. Through its agricultural reform programme, Defra is investing £2.7 billion a year to support a productive, sustainable farming sector. This includes measures to improve business resilience, productivity and skills development, which help make agriculture a more accessible and attractive career option for young people, including those in Lincolnshire.

How much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

What assessment she has made of the level of take up of cycling proficiency programmes in schools in Lincolnshire.

In 2024/25, schools in the Lincolnshire County Council area booked 6,867 Bikeability training places, of which 6,168 were attended. This included 5,116 children receiving level 2 on-road training; equivalent to 60% of year 6 pupils in that area.

How much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years at: GOV.UK

What assessment has he made of trends in the number of year on year changes to hospital handover delays in Lincolnshire.

NHS England and the Department regularly monitor ambulance handovers and provide support to the most challenged trusts. NHS England publishes data on ambulance delays monthly, and the published trust handover data is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/ambulance-management-information/

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on trends in levels of fly tipping in Lincolnshire.

Local authorities are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which we publish annually at: Fly-tipping statistics for England, 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. It covers trends in the number of fly-tipping incidents, with a breakdown by land type, waste type and size. It also covers enforcement and prosecution actions undertaken for fly-tipping incidents. This data is available at local authority, regional and national levels, but not at county level. The Environment Agency (EA) is working with local partners in Lincolnshire to monitor and address trends in fly‑tipping and wider waste crime but does not hold trend data. The EA works through the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership, established in 2020 and recognised nationally as best practice to prevent, disrupt and investigate waste offences in Lincolnshire. The EA also plays an active role in the Lincolnshire Multi‑Agency Intelligence Network, chaired by Lincolnshire Police, on live fly‑tipping investigations and joint actions to support Local Authority enforcement. The Government welcomes this strong partnership approach and the continued efforts to strengthen it further.

How much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.

The number of (a) Sharia councils and (b) people associated with roles on Sharia councils have been convicted of offences under the Equality Act 2010 in the last ten years.

Sharia Councils are not part of the judicial system; therefore, the Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of sharia councils in operation, and there is no plan to produce such data at this time.The Ministry of Justice publishes convictions data on a wide range of offences including offences under the Equality Act 2010 in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. This can be downloaded at the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

How much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reports Special Severance Payments in its Annual Report and Accounts in accordance with HM Treasury and FREM requirements. For core MOD, the audited figures published in the Annual Report and Accounts are as follows (rounded to the nearest £1,000): 2022–23: £556,000 (14 cases)2023–24: £1,074,000 (13 cases)2024–25: £3,418,000 (40 cases) In addition, the UK Hydrographic Office has reported two Special Severance Payments in 2025, totalling £80,000. UKHO data is not included in the MOD Annual Report and Accounts as UKHO publishes its own accounts separately.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

The total value of severance payments is set out in the department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which are available for the last three years.