Written questions by Hayes.

What steps she is taking to reduce levels of drug offences in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Reducing drug-related crime is a key priority for this Government and is part of our mission to take back our streets and drive down crime and antisocial behaviour.An additional £267 million in drug and alcohol treatment is being invested into services this year to improve quality and capacity, which has the potential to reduce crime and reoffending.As part of the Governments work to reduce drug-related harms and crime, every area in England has a dedicated Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP). In Lincolnshire, the Government has supported the establishment of a Lincolnshire Drug and Alcohol Partnership, to help bring together key local partners to address drug related-crime, drug use and drug deaths, in line with local context and need. Between March 2022 and August 2024 there has been an increase of 248 treatment places in Lincolnshire.Broader work across the county to reduce drug offences included targeting drug treatment referrals at offenders. As well as continuing work with the National Police Chiefs Council to increase police referrals into drug treatment.We are committed to reducing drug offences in supply of illicit drugs. Recent police activity on County Lines has resulted in over 5,100 line drug dealing line closures, over 15,600 arrests and over 8,000 safeguarding referrals. In addition, we are working continuously to disrupt the organised criminal gangs behind the importation and supply of drugs in the UK.

What steps she is taking to reduce school absences in rural areas.

The government recognises school absence as a key barrier to learning. If children are not in school, it does not matter how effective or well-supported teaching and learning is, they will not benefit. Thanks to the sector's efforts, more students are attending school this year compared to last. However, 1.6 million children remain persistently absent, missing 10% or more of lessons. To address this, the department will roll out funded breakfast clubs to all primary schools so that all children are ready to learn. The department will also introduce new annual Ofsted reviews on safeguarding, attendance and off-rolling. Mental health support is also being expanded, with specialists in every school. The ’Working together to improve school attendance’ statutory guidance promotes a support first approach, encouraging schools, trusts and local authorities to work with families to address attendance barriers. Every state school in England should now be sharing their daily attendance registers with the department, local authorities and trusts. Schools, trusts and councils are able to access this data via an interactive secure data dashboard maintained by the department. For all schools it is vital that there are opportunities to share best practice on how to improve attendance. Across the nation there is a network of 31 attendance hubs, working with 2000 schools to share to share their strategies and resources for improving attendance.

How many and what proportion of those convicted for sexual offences were not given prison sentences in the last five years.

Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent judiciary.This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls within the decade. To do so, we must improve the justice system’s response to these crimes. We must relentlessly target the most prolific and harmful perpetrators; better support victims and survivors; and ensure timely and effective justice.The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions for a wide range of offences, including sexual offences in the period requested, via the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2023, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2023.

What steps she is taking to tackle county lines operations in Lincolnshire.

County lines is the most violent and exploitative model of drug distribution nationally, and a harmful form of Child Criminal Exploitation. The Government’s manifesto included a commitment to introduce a new offence of criminal exploitation of children, to go after the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime.While the the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue which is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response.The County Lines Programme taskforces regularly conduct joint operations with other forces, and we have established a dedicated fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Lincolnshire Police.Since the County Lines Programme was launched in 2019, police activity has resulted in over 5,100 line closures, over 15,600 arrests and over 8,000 safeguarding referrals.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of radiotherapy treatment machines in England.

The Government knows that cancer patients are waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer on time, diagnosing it earlier, and treating it faster, so that more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. As part of this, we are committed to bringing down waits for cancer appointments with a Fit for the Future fund, providing investment for the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waiting times, thereby saving lives.The Government will continue to support the provision of radiotherapy machines, however, since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems.

If he will have discussions with NHS England on improving access to radiotherapy treatments for cancer patients in rural areas.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that the healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include considering adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including in remote and rural areas.For those who may struggle to access treatment, the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients in England who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain National Health Services. The NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services provide funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment independently.

Whether her Department has provided funding to the Runnymede Trust in the last ten years.

The Home Office has provided no funding to the Runnymede Trust in the last ten years.

Whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials have held recent discussions with National Grid on the viability of using an underground cable system instead of pylons as part of the great grid upgrade.

The Government’s policy on undergrounding is set out in the energy National Policy Statement for electricity networks (EN-5), which sets a strong starting presumption of overhead lines, except in nationally designated landscapes, where undergrounding is the starting presumption. Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK

Whether Ministers in his Department have met representatives of the Mermaids charity since 5 July 2024.

Ministers from the Department have not met with representatives of the Mermaids charity since 5 July 2024.

How many prisoners released under the early release scheme on (a) 10 September 2024 and (b) 22 October 2024 are registered as residing in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

Data on SDS40 releases forms a subset of data intended for future publication.

Whether Ministers in his Department have met representatives of Arden Strategies since 5 July 2024.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has provided funding to the Runnymede Trust in the last ten years.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has checked all available records which show no funding has been provided to the Runnymede Trust in the last ten years.

If she will publish the offences committed by prisoners released under the early release scheme.

SDS40 applies to standard determinate sentences, but certain offences have been excluded from the SDS change. the following offences are excluded: Sex offences irrespective of sentence length; serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation); as well as offences concerning national security. The change will also not apply to sentences subject to release at the discretion of the Parole Board or to offences which currently attract the automatic release from an SDS at the two-thirds point (certain serious sexual and violent offences).

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase funding for arts and culture in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

After 14 years of indifference and cultural vandalism, this government is committed to making sure that arts and cultural activities will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few. We are working with Arts Council England and others to understand what the challenges and opportunities are for our sectors. As part of the Government’s “Creating Growth” plan, DCMS is also undertaking a review documenting current and past funding for the arts, culture, and heritage sectors.Arts Council England’s open funding programme, National Lottery Project Grants, is accessible to organisations and individuals across the country, including those in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency, and across Lincolnshire. This programme provides over £100 million of support annually, and is open to new and emerging artists.

How many people have escaped from Category D prisons in the last 10 years.

An escape that does not involve overcoming a physical security restraint or barrier (such as that provided by a wall or fence, locks, bolts or bars, a secure vehicle, handcuffs or the direct supervision of staff) is classified as an abscond. By definition, absconds are only possible from prisons with open conditions (Category D). Data on absconds are published annually in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The requested information can be found via the following link: Absconds Data. Public protection is our top priority. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody. Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions, where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction.

If he will make an estimate of the number of unpaid carers in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The 2021 Census found that there are approximately 4.7 million people of all ages in England who said they provided unpaid care. In the South Holland and the Deepings constituency, the census showed that there were approximately 9,700 people of all ages who said they provided unpaid care.

How many confiscations of Class A drugs took place in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.

Data on the number of incidents where Class A drugs were found in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years are provided in the attached table.The availability of drugs in prison is yet another sign of the prisons crisis the new Government inherited. We are bringing the crisis under control and ensuring that a range of physical security countermeasures are used to reduce the conveyance of illicit items into prisons, including X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and drug trace detection equipment.

How many driving test centres there are in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has 22 driving test centres (DTC) located in the East Midlands. This total includes seven DTCs located inLincolnshire.

What the projected cost to the public purse is of removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is not about financial savings but is concerned with removing the outdated and indefensible right of the remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

How many confiscations of mobile phones took place in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.

The number of incidents where mobile phones were found in prisons in England and Wales, over the past three years: 2021-222022-232023-24England7,7787,59610,351Wales210241318Total7,9887,83710,669 We publish the number of incidents where mobile phones were found in prison in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The latest issue covers the 12 month period to March 2024.It is important to consider, with incidents of mobile phone finds in prisons, that an increase in numbers may be as a result of more effective searching, rather than more items being present in prisons. Data Sources and Quality The figures in the table have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.The figures in the table count the number of incidents where a mobile phone was found, rather than the number of mobile phones found. One incident can include multiple phones found.Secure training centres Rainsbrook and Oakhill report separately as they are contracted establishments and therefore are not included in this dataset.The figures are on a financial year basis, so the figures for 2023-24 are from 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.