Written questions by Hayes.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of youth services in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people. At the Autumn Budget, we announced £1.3 billion of extra funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for the next financial year.This Government is committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential and recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving their life chances and wellbeing. That is why, on 12 November 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of a new National Youth Strategy coproduced with young people, which will prioritise delivering better coordinated youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level.Alongside this, the Government will be allocating over £85 million of capital funding to create fit-for-purpose spaces for young people. This includes launching the new £26 million Better Youth Spaces fund (equipment and small refurbishments for youth clubs, led by young people) and the completion of Youth Investment Fund projects such as youth clubs in communities that need them. We will also be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot, which will provide tools, guidance, peer challenge and funding to build back local authorities’ lost capability in the youth space.

How many jobs were created in Lincolnshire as a result of foreign direct investment in the last five years.

Official statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbt-inward-investment-results-2023-to-2024 show that 1,295 new jobs were created in Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2021-22, 1,159 in 2022-23 and 198 in 2023-24. Statistics at LEP level are not available for previous years. Figures were published at International Territorial Level 2 (ITL2) for the first time in 2023-24 which showed that 182 new jobs were created in Lincolnshire. Previous years figures at ITL2 level are not available.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to make an announcement on the status of applications to the Community Ownership Fund Round 4.

I refer the rt hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 11941 on 8 November 2024.

What steps he is taking to support military veterans in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

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 in South Holland and the Deepings, and throughout Lincolnshire, get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. A range of support is in place for veterans. In England Op RESTORE provides specialist care to veterans who have physical health problems, and Op COURAGE, a mental health specialist service helps veterans and their families. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway to connect veterans with help and support. This system provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 3 November 2024, over 2,700 referrals have been made and nearly 800 veterans have been supported into housing. Veterans can also access a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities. Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network to help support members of the armed forces community into work.

What is the total amount paid to (a) Serco, (b) Clearsprings and (c) Mears since 2019 for contracts to provide housing for asylum seekers.

Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system, and details are considered to be commercially confidential. The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What estimate his Department has made of how many miles of pylons and power lines will need to be built in England to meet the 2030 clean power target.

The Government does not design or develop the electricity network, and it is for the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to assess and recommend high-level reinforcements to the electricity network. Transmission Owners then develop the network on the basis of those recommendations. The NESO recently published advice on possible pathways to achieve clean power by 2030, which includes an assessment of required transmission reinforcements. Using this advice, Government will publish its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan later this year.

If she will make it her policy to immediately deport foreign nationals convicted of criminal offences resulting in custodial sentences.

The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is an important priority of this Government. FNOs who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. We are currently on track to remove more foreign national offenders this year than at any time in recent years.As the Lord Chancellor stated in Parliament on 05 November, we are reviewing the operation of our removal mechanisms to ensure they are as effective as possible. This includes assessing how we can make the Early Removal Scheme more effective. We will be working with the Home Office as we develop our plans in this area, to ensure that FNOs who have no right to remain here are deported as swiftly as possible.

What the average waiting time is for a dementia assessment in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The constituency in question is split across two Older People Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT), Stamford and Spalding CMHTs. Whilst this does not map exactly with the constituency area, the average wait for the first appointment across the two CMHTs is 11.62 weeks.Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) 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. Work is underway to finalise the model of care and to launch it towards the end of the financial year.There has been continued LPFT recruitment funding for dedicated Memory Assessment Practitioners with increased assessment and diagnostic output, as well as recruitment for additional, dedicated Memory Assessment Service Consultants to increase diagnostic capacity.

What steps he is taking to help improve ambulance response times in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Government has committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution, including for ambulance response times. This will improve the level of service nationally, in Lincolnshire and in South Holland and the Deepings.As a first step, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.Ahead of this winter, NHS England has set out the priorities for the NHS to maintain and improve patient safety and experience, including actions to support patient flow and ensure ambulances are released in a timely way. NHS England’s winter letter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/winter-and-h2-priorities/

Whether her Department conducted an impact assessment on the proposed change on inheritance tax for agricultural properties.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms, and further explanatory information at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Around 500 estates across the UK are expected to be affected each year from 2026-27. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

How many prison officers have (a) been recruited and (b) left their roles since 2014.

The quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication covers staffing information, including number of staff in post as well as the number of joiners and leavers, by different grades and structure etc.The number of HMPPS joiners and leavers by grade is publicly available in table 8 of the HMPPS Workforce Statistics publication which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics.Once you have chosen your respective quarterly report, navigate to HMPPS Workforce Statistics Bulletin: **** tables, tab 8 will provide you with table 8 information.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the recruitment of male primary school teachers.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education with teachers helping shape the lives of young people.There are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England, but the government must do more to ensure we have the workforce needed to provide the best possible education for every child in all parts of the country. This is why the government has set out the ambition to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers.​The first crucial step towards achieving this is to ensure teaching is once again an attractive and respected profession. As part of this, it is important that teachers get the pay they deserve, which is why this government has accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September.The department is committed to making teaching and teacher recruitment as inclusive as possible. This includes the Get Into Teaching marketing campaign, which provides inspiration and support to explore a career in teaching and directs people to the Get Into Teaching Service, which exists to make teaching a career of choice and support candidates to apply for teacher training in the most effective and efficient way possible.The service supports the department's overall aim to improve teacher sufficiency and quality by boosting teacher recruitment and retention. The department’s Apply for Teacher Training digital service gives it more data and greater insight into the behaviour of male candidates and schools and universities that offer initial teacher training. This is helping the department identify and address barriers for different groups, including men.The department offers a range of training pathways into teaching that appeals to the widest range of candidates. These include routes funded through student finance and, in some subjects, bursaries or employment-based training where trainees will earn a salary while they train, including teaching apprenticeships.

How many NHS patients have been treated with Spinraza in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands since 2019.

Use of nusinersen, also known by the brand name Spinraza, is commissioned from specialist centres, and in the East Midlands the service is commissioned from Nottingham University Hospital (NUH). NUH has treated eight patients with nusinersen since 2019. No patients were treated in Lincolnshire hospitals, as there is no specialist centre there.

What steps she is taking to help reduce congestion on roads in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

This Government is committed to maintaining and renewing our road network so it can serve all road users and is safe. Traffic management of local roads is the responsibility of local traffic authorities who are best placed to understand local circumstances and needs. Traffic authorities are subject to the statutory network management duty which requires them to manage their roads to secure the ‘expeditious movement’ of all traffic including pedestrians, with a view to reducing congestion, and they have a wide range of tools already available to them to enable this.

If he will make an estimate of the waiting times for (a) assessments for and (b) diagnoses of autism in (i) adults and (ii) children in (A) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (B) Lincolnshire.

The information requested is not held centrally, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Lincolnshire ICB. In the NHS Lincolnshire ICB in June 2024, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics show that there was a total of 1,455 patients with an open suspected autism referral. 55 of these patients were aged zero to 17 years old, and 1,405 of these patients were aged 18 years old and over. Since each metric is rounded to the nearest five in the published data, the number of adults and children do not add up to the total number of patients.The median waiting time of all patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 232 days for over 18-year-olds. For zero- to 17-year-olds, the median number of days patients waited was not able to be provided, due to a small sample size of the number of children who had their first care contact in the most recent quarter.Data on children and young people in this dataset is expected to be an underestimate and caution should be used when interpreting these statistics, since they are experimental rather than official statistics. The majority of children assessed for autism in the United Kingdom are seen in child development services, which are out of the scope of this dataset. This means the published figures will underestimate the volume of referrals or diagnoses and the associated impact on health services. NHS England continues to conduct exploratory analysis into the Community Services Dataset, with a view to including autism waiting times data from that dataset.

What progress she has made on supporting pothole repairs in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network.At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year - exceeding this Government’s manifesto commitment on repairing local roads. The Government will confirm 2025/26 funding allocations to English local highway authorities, including Lincolnshire County Council, in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 10405 on Driving Licences: Foreign Nationals, if she will hold discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on the potential merits of recording statistics on the nationality of newly qualified driving licence holders.

As information on nationality is not required for driving licence purposes, there are no plans for the Driver and Vehicle Agency to record this data for newly qualified drivers.

How many road accidents there were in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in the most recent period for which data is available.

Data on road injury collisions are reported by police using the STATS19 system. The number of personal injury road collisions reported to police in each of the areas requested in 2023 are shown in the table below.AreaAll collisionsSouth Holland and the Deepings constituency215Lincolnshire1,724

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that elections are accessible to (a) blind and (b) partially sighted people.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 10319 on 29 October 2024.

What steps her Department is taking to support early speech and language interventions in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The department’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), is the same as it is for all children and young people. We want them to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.The department is funding support for 11,100 schools registered for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme. The majority of these are schools with the highest levels of disadvantage, as defined by the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals. As of January 2024, we estimate over 211,000 reception age children so far have received this extra support.In partnership with NHS England, we are funding the Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinder programme, to trial new ways of working to earlier identify and support children with SLCN in early years and primary schools, utilising Therapy Support Assistants and a variation of identification tools across the pathfinders.In further partnership with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care, this department is funding the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) programme. PINS will build teacher and staff capacity to identify and meet the needs of neurodiverse children, including those with SLCN, through whole school interventions.The department funds a range of materials, to which all local areas are signposted, hosted on the Nasen website. This website is an online portal offering education professionals free, easy access to high quality information, resources and training for meeting the needs of children with SEND. It can be accessed here: https://www.wholeschoolsend.org.uk/page/universal-send-services. We have funded the creation of a suite of condition specific videos to provide helpful pointers, techniques and advice on inclusive teaching strategies, which includes materials for schools to use for children and young people with SLCN. These videos can be accessed at: https://www.sendgateway.org.uk/resources?title=condition-specific. We also offer free training on speech language and communication, which is available here: https://www.wholeschoolsend.org.uk/page/online-cpd-units.The department will consider how best to use learnings and insights from these programmes to improve support for children with SLCNs, including consistency of support provided across different geographies.