Written questions by Hayes.

How many hotels have started housing asylum seekers awaiting a decision on whether they will be granted refugee status since 5 July 2024.

The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes clearing the backlog to reduce demand on our accommodation estate and ending the use of hotels over time.

What steps she is taking to help reduce the number of people driving while under the influence of illegal drugs.

This Government takes road safety very seriously and reducing those killed and injured on our roads is a key priority. That is why we have announced our intention to publish a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. We will set out next steps on this in due course.

How many publicly available roadside electric vehicle chargers will be required for the phase out of the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

More charging infrastructure is needed across the country to support the transition to electric vehicles, and this Government has committed to accelerate the rollout. The number of public charging devices required depends on a variety of factors such as the availability of off-street parking, future charging behaviour and local driving patterns. To accelerate the rollout of local charging infrastructure, Lincolnshire County Council, in which South Holland and the Deepings sits, has been allocated £6,380,592 capital and resource funding under the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. This will help Lincolnshire work with industry to rollout additional public chargepoints to support demand.

What assessment he has made of trends in childhood obesity levels in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in each of the last three years.

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children in Reception, aged four to five years old, and children in Year 6, aged 10 to 11 years old. It provides detailed trend data on children’s weight status, including childhood obesity. Data on obesity prevalence from the NCMP is available for the school years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, and 2022/23, with 2022/23 being the most recent year for which data is available. There is no data available for Lincolnshire for 2020/21 due the COVID-19 pandemic, with all of the data for 2019/20 having been collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data is not available at a constituency level, but is available at a local authority level. For Lincolnshire, the prevalence of obesity in 2022/23 for both children aged four to five years old and those aged 10 to 11 years old is similar to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019/20. The following table shows the obesity prevalence as a percentage for children in Reception and Year 6 in Lincolnshire, where the data is available, each year from 2019/20 to 2022/23: Obesity prevalenceAreaReceptionYear 62019/202020/212021/222022/232019/202020/212021/222022/23Lincolnshire10.5%No data11.0%9.4%22.2%No data24.3%23.2%

Communities and Local Government, how much funding was provided through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to projects in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in each year since 2019.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) was launched in 2022/23. Funding is allocated to lead local authorities; data is not collected at a constituency level. Details of full funding allocations for lead local authorities, including the hon. Member’s local authority area can be found at the following link. An annual breakdown of allocations can also be found in the spreadsheet here.

What information his Department holds on the number of community pharmacies that have closed in (a) South Holland and the Deeping constituency and (b) Lincolnshire since 2014.

The Department does not hold data prior to September 2016. There were 13 community pharmacies providing National Health Service pharmaceutical services in the South Holland and Deeping constituency on 30 June 2024, which is three fewer than in September 2016. There were 177 community pharmacies providing NHS pharmaceutical services in Lincolnshire County on 30 June 2024, which is 16 fewer than in September 2016.

Whether Ministers in his Department have met representatives of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change since 5 July 2024.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of farm machinery theft in the last five years.

The Government recognises the importance of tackling rural crime and the impact stolen farm machinery can have on businesses. We are committed to safeguarding rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing, and stronger laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.We will implement the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which aims to prevent the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the level of household debt in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Question of 14 October is attached.

What estimate he has made of the potential cost of including a package of community benefits in the proposal for the Grimsby to Walpole project under the Great Grid Upgrade.

The Government cannot comment on specific projects which will come before the Secretary of State for a final planning decision. All projects, regardless of location, must go through the independent and robust planning process. We are committed to ensuring that communities who live near new transmission infrastructure can see the benefits of it and are considering how to most effectively deliver this.

If he will meet National Grid to discuss potential underground cabling alternatives for the proposed Grimsby to Walpole pylon plans.

The design and development of electricity transmission infrastructure is a matter for the developer, with the implications of those choices considered through the planning process. The government’s position, as set out in National Policy Statement for electricity networks infrastructure (NPS EN-5), is that overhead lines should be the strong starting presumption for electricity networks developments in general, except in nationally designated landscapes where undergrounding is the starting presumption.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of how many polygamous marriages are valid in the UK.

The Home Office does not collect data on polygamous marriages

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of women affected by the changes to the State Pension age in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

All women born since 6 Apr 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age, through changes brought in by the Pensions Acts 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014. As State Pension age is now the same for men and women, following equalisation, all men born since the 6 Dec 1953 have also been affected by changes to State Pension age, through the 2007, 2011 and 2014 Pensions Acts. The oldest of the women affected by changes to State Pension age would now be 74 years old, the oldest of the men affected by changes to State Pension age would now be 70 years old. ONS population estimates suggest that in mid 2023 there were 43,216 females aged 74 or below currently resident in the South Hollands and the Deepings constituency, and 345,713 females resident in Lincolnshire aged 74 or below, who have been impacted by State Pension age increases to 65 and 66. Future State Pension age changes are set out on gov.uk, but are subject to confirmation as part of periodic reviews of State Pension age.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support first-time buyer households in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers in Lincolnshire and across the country mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership.In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make the Fens a designated area for food production in planning policy.

The Government place great importance upon our agriculture and food production, and this is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework is clear that local planning authorities should recognise the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, including that found in the Fens. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, the relevant planning authority should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.

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

Neither my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, nor Ministers in the department have had any Ministerial meetings with representatives of Arden Strategies since 5 July 2024.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of bank closures in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire on (i) pensioners and (ii) small business owners.

The Government understands the impact of bank branch closures on communities and the importance of face-to-face banking. It is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. These hubs will provide small businesses and individuals who need face-to-face support with critical cash and in-person banking services. Over 80 banking hubs are already open and Cash Access UK, who oversee banking hub rollout, expect 100 hubs to be open by Christmas. Furthermore, FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. As well as banking hubs, alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office.

What steps she is taking to reduce class sizes in Lincolnshire.

The average class size for state-funded primary schools in Lincolnshire is 25.5 pupils, which is below the national average of 26.6 pupils. The average class size for state-funded secondary schools in Lincolnshire is 21.5 pupils, which again is below the national average of 22.4 pupils.Legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher. An infant class is one in which the majority of children will reach the age of five, six, or seven during the school year, which includes reception, year 1 and year 2.There is no statutory limit on the size of classes for older children (pupils aged eight and over), and it is up to schools to decide how to organise classes based on local needs and circumstances to ensure all children can be supported to achieve and thrive.It is local authorities who have responsibility to ensure there are sufficient school places in their area. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need Grant to support local authorities to provide school places. Lincolnshire will receive £21.5 million in 2025/26 to support the provision of new school places needed by September 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of population growth on housing supply.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 2451 on 5 September 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Ministers in his Department have met with representatives of Arden Strategies since 5 July 2024.

No FCDO Minister has met with representatives of Arden Strategies since 5 July 2024.