Written questions by O'Brien.

How much his Department spent on communications in the latest year for which data is available.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), including spend by predecessor Department for International Trade (DIT), spent £24,299,000 on communications in financial year 2022-2023 as reported in the Department’s annual report and accounts, available on GOV.UK. This spend has supported DBT’s strategic efforts to promote the UK’s international trade agenda and achievements, position it as a destination for inward investment, and boost export promotion.

How much her Department spent on communications in the latest year for which data is available.

Expenditure on communications staffing was £2,507,000 and non-pay related items/services for the communications team was £869,000, In 2023-24. HM Treasury’s Communications Team is responsible for all communications conducted by HM Treasury and its Ministers to help inform, promote and explain HMT policies through traditional and new media channels.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on communications in the last year for which data is available.

The Government develops wide-ranging national and international campaigns which are delivered through tailored communication strategies aimed at reaching target audiences. The total FCDO Communication Directorate's communication campaign activity for FY23-24 was £6,435,000. We remain committed to scrutiny, transparency, and best value for taxpayer money. Please note that the majority of campaign expenditure is covered by other relevant Departments.

How much her Department spent on communications in the last year for which data is available.

The Home Office reports data on media spending and discloses this together with IT in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.Refer to page 243 (page 247 on the PDF reader) of the 2023-24 Annual Report and Accounts, through the link below.Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Innovation and Technology, how much his Department spent on communications in the last year for which data is available.

In financial year 2023/2024 the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) spent a total of £8,316,561.37 on communications. This is inclusive of £3,516,253.54 which are payroll related costs for staff who work in the Communications Directorate. The DSIT Communications Team is responsible for all communications conducted by the department and its Ministers to help inform, promote and explain departmental policies through traditional and new media channels. This includes a number of paid-for marketing campaigns such as those designed to encourage uptake of R&D funding made available through Horizon Europe and campaigns to build skills required for the jobs of the future.

How much her Department spent on communications in the last year for which data is available.

The department uses marketing to support the delivery of strategic aims and government priorities, including to recruit teachers and early years professionals, reform the skills landscape, and drive take up of products and services like apprenticeships, T Levels and childcare entitlements.The department’s total spend on advertising and communications was £48 million in 2023/24. More information on the department’s accounts for 2023/24, the last year for which data is available, can be found in the link below: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a78085ce1fd0da7b592e80/DfE_consolidated_annual_report_and_accounts_2023_to_2024_-_web-optimised_version.pdf.

How much was loaned through refugee integration loans in each year since the scheme was created.

Refugee Integration Loans were introduced in 2007 following a public consultation and have operated over the last seventeen years to help recipients with the costs of integrating into UK society. They are funded by the Home Office, who make the initial decisions on applications. They are then administered and recouped by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Single applicants can borrow between £100 and £500 and if applying jointly the maximum amount increases to £780. The Home Office work with DWP to administer the loans across different IT platforms. Consequently, data on the level of loans provided on an annual basis is not held in an easily reportable format and would require a manual search of records that could only be conducted at a disproportionate cost.

How much she expects will be loaned in refugee integration loans this year.

Refugee Integration Loans were introduced in 2007 following a public consultation and have operated over the last seventeen years to help recipients with the costs of integrating into UK society. They are funded by the Home Office, who make the initial decisions on applications. They are then administered and recouped by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Single applicants can borrow between £100 and £500 and if applying jointly the maximum amount increases to £780. The Home Office work with DWP to administer the loans across different IT platforms. Consequently, data on the level of loans provided on an annual basis is not held in an easily reportable format and would require a manual search of records that could only be conducted at a disproportionate cost.

If she will exempt independent special schools from the removal of business rates charitable rates relief.

On 29 July 2024, the Government published a technical note confirming that the Government will remove private schools’ eligibility for charitable rates relief under business rates in England. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will...

What the cost to the public purse of the asylum system was in each year since 2005; and what estimate she has made of the cost for 2024.

Data on asylum costs has been disclosed each year since 2013-14 in the Home Office’s Annual Report and Accounts. However, data for Financial Year 2024-25 is not yet published and will be available when the 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts is published. Data for asylum costs was not published prior to Financial Year 2013-14.Please refer to the below page references which are available through the following link:Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Financial Year 2023-24 page 243 (page 247 on the PDF reader)Financial Year 2022-23 page 244Financial Year 2021-22 page 171Financial Year 2020-21 page 159Financial Year 2019-20 page 150Financial Year 2018-19 page 135Financial Year 2017-18 page 124Financial Year 2016-17 page 115Financial Year 2015-16 page 132 (page 133 on the PDF reader)Financial Year 2014-15 page 124 (page 127 on the PDF reader)Financial Year 2013-14 page 110 (page 127 on the PDF reader)

What the median cost per night for hotel accommodation for asylum seekers was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost was of the (a) most and (b) least expensive decile.

The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly, including reducing the use of hotels over time. Additionally, the Government will be reviewing current Home Office arrangements to ensure efficiency and deliver value for money.Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential; therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. The total specific breakdowns of hotel costs are not reportable in the format requested, but the 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).The number of asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95 support is published quarterly. At the end of quarter four 2003 published statistics indicate that there were 47,148 people housed in Dispersal Accommodation and a further 30,362 in receipt of subsistence only support. The geographical location of these supported asylum seekers was not published at that time. Since 2019 data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation has been published at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What the supported asylum population in each local authority ward in England was on 31 December 2003.

The Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly, including reducing the use of hotels over time. Additionally, the Government will be reviewing current Home Office arrangements to ensure efficiency and deliver value for money.Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential; therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information. The total specific breakdowns of hotel costs are not reportable in the format requested, but the 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).The number of asylum seekers in receipt of Section 95 support is published quarterly. At the end of quarter four 2003 published statistics indicate that there were 47,148 people housed in Dispersal Accommodation and a further 30,362 in receipt of subsistence only support. The geographical location of these supported asylum seekers was not published at that time. Since 2019 data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation has been published at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

How many people are eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment in each Parliamentary constituency; and what estimate she has made of the number of people that will be eligible after the proposed means testing for that payment.

Annual statistics relating to Winter Fuel Payment recipients are routinely published. The number of recipients within each parliamentary constituency is available at the following link:winter-fuel-payments-caseload-2022-to-2023.ods (live.com) The tab "3_Parliamentary_Constituency" contains the relevant numbers. 1.2 million households will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments in England and 100,000 households in Wales post policy change (based on the number of current Pension Credit recipients). Source: Stat-Xplore - Table View (dwp.gov.uk). Winter Fuel Payments in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government. Please note that Pension Credit claimants are the majority of those that will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments, not all. Also, the published Pension Credit figures refer to households, so the number of individuals will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where it is a couple claiming Pension Credit). Furthermore, the above does not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up we might see as a result of the policy.

How many applications for asylum were (a) granted and (b) refused by (i) year of age, (ii) sex and (iii) country of origin in the last 12 months.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications by age, sex, and nationality are published in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum Applications, Decisions and Resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is up to March 2024.

How many GP (a) practices and (b) premises there were in each current ICB area in each month since January 2010.

A table showing the number if general practices and premises in each current integrated care board (ICB) area in England, each month since January 2014, is attached. Data is not available before 2014. Open and close dates for both practices and branches were identified using data from the NHS Organisation Data Service. Locations have been mapped to current ICB boundaries.

If she will have discussions with Network Rail on options to avoid the closure of Spion Kop Bridge in Wigston during the next phase of electrification work on the midland mainline.

My officials have been in discussion with Network Rail and will continue to do so regarding the works for Spion Kop bridge at Blaby Road.The work is necessary to renew aging assets and enable the electrification of the railway. Network Rail are working with the local authority and are considering options for the works. They are mindful of minimising disruptive impacts whilst also delivering them efficiently.

What proportion of people who paid capital gains tax were in work in the most recent year for which data is available.

In the 2021 to 2022 tax year, around 50% of customers liable to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) declared in their Self Assessment return that they were in employment or were self-employed. This figure is based on data reported by taxpayers who have filed a Self Assessment tax return and excludes a small proportion of taxpayers who have reported CGT exclusively via other filing systems.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the press release from the Association of Optometrists entitled Life-changing service for children with special educational needs at risk of collapse due to cuts, published on 9 May 2024.

NHS England has committed to investing up to £12.7 million annually from 2024/25 on the provision of sight tests and associated optical vouchers in special educational settings. This represents an approximately 87% increase compared to previous levels of spending. This additional investment has the potential to increase coverage from 4% of special educational settings to 100%.NHS England has engaged with key stakeholders throughout the life of the programme and continues to work closely with local integrated care boards and the ophthalmic and voluntary sector, to scale up and roll out sight tests in special educational settings.

What proportion of people who paid capital gains tax also paid employee national insurance contributions in the most recent year for which data is available.

HMRC does not routinely produce estimates of the proportion of capital gains taxpayers who have paid employee national insurance contributions. A reliable estimate would only be available at disproportionate cost. Annual statistics on Capital Gains Tax including number of taxpayers are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/capital-gains-tax-statistics The statistics in this publication are for all customers liable to Capital Gains Tax including those who have and have not paid employee national insurance contributions.

How many staff in his Department have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

The Ministry of Defence does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-defence-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024