The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 2,378 tabled · 2,330 answered

Written questions by Lowe.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.

Department:All (2,378)Home Office (829)Department of Health and Social Care (267)Ministry of Justice (214)Department for Work and Pensions (143)Department for Education (120)Treasury (119)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (117)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (107)Cabinet Office (98)Department for Transport (88)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (57)Ministry of Defence (53)

Showing 561580 of 2,378 · this parliament

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25 Nov 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Civil Service sickness absence reports, which provide statistics for sickness absence by organisation and sickness reason, including Mental Ill-Health.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence

25 Nov 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

The Civil Service publishes regular sickness absence reports, which provide statistics for sickness absence by organisation and sickness reason, including Mental Ill-Health. These can be found at Sickness absence in the Civil Service - GOV.UK.

25 Nov 2025·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·Answered
Asked

Communities and Local Government, how many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Information on sickness absence, including data by Department and sickness reason (such as Mental Ill-Health), is published in the Civil Service sickness absence reports available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next release is expected soon.

25 Nov 2025·Attorney General·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Cabinet Office publishes sickness absence data for the Civil Service on an annual basis, including by organisation and by absence reason. I refer you to the statistics publicly available which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next release is likely to be around 18 December 2025.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Business and Trade·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Civil Service sickness absence reports (which provide statistics for sickness absence by organisation and sickness reason, including Mental Ill-Health) are publicly available at: [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence]. The next release of data is likely to be on Thursday 18th December 2025.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Science, Innovation and Technology·Answered
Asked

Innovation and Technology, how many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology routinely reports its sickness absence data on gov.uk alongside the rest of the Civil Service.Information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absenceThis contains statistics for sickness absence by organisation and sickness reason, including Mental Ill-Health.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Information on sickness absence, including mental ill-health, is available in the Civil Service Sickness Absence Reports, which provide statistics by organisation and sickness reason. These reports can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The Cabinet Office collates Sickness Absence data from DWP on a quarterly basis. On an annual basis this management information is published. The next release of these statistics is expected to be around 18 December.

25 Nov 2025·Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office·Answered
Asked

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

The Civil Service publishes sickness absence statistics by organisation and by sickness reason, including mental ill-health. These figures are available in the publicly accessible Civil Service sickness absence reports on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence). The next release of these statistics is scheduled for 18 December, and you may wish to refer to this forthcoming publication for the most up-to-date information.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Energy Security and Net Zero·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

As of 31 October 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero had less than five employees on sickness absence for six months or more where the recorded reason related to mental health. The exact number has been redacted to avoid identification of individuals. The Department records sickness absence reasons in line with Civil Service categories, which include stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. The Department offers a range of support including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders, and access to occupational health services.

25 Nov 2025·Treasury·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

We currently have fewer than 5 staff on leave for six months or more for mental health related sickness absence. We do not reveal the medical details for individual ill health.

25 Nov 2025·Ministry of Defence·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

On the 30 September 2025, 94 individuals were recorded on Ministry of Defence (MOD) HR systems with an ongoing sick absence of six months or longer for Mental Disorders as defined by the World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases. The MOD HR systems do not break down this down but include Anxiety, Depression and Stress within the description.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Culture, Media and Sport·Answered
Asked

Media and Sport, how many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Civil Service sickness absence reports, which provide statistics for sickness absence by organisation and sickness reason, including Mental Ill-Health, are published on an annual basis. The publication of the 2025 report is currently planned for 18 December 2025. These annual reports can be found by following the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence

25 Nov 2025·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Based on our reporting data up to the end of September 2025, we are withholding this data due to the small number of employees involved which could make individuals and the cause of their absence identifiable.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Transport·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

As of 31 October 2025, there are 0 staff in DfTc who have been absent for six months or more due to mental health.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Education·Answered
Asked

How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

The department records sickness absence categorised to show the broad reason for the absence, with one option titled ‘anxiety, stress, depression and other psychiatric illnesses’. As of 31 October 2025, five or fewer members of staff in the department were on sickness absence for six months or more, and were still absent on that date, with a recorded reason for the sickness absence of ‘anxiety, stress, depression and other psychiatric illnesses’. Due to the small numbers involved, figures are rounded to the nearest five and are not reported separately. The department does not hold more detailed information on the individual circumstances of these cases. Statistics on mental ill-health related absence across the Civil Service, including for the department, are publicly available in the Civil Service sickness absence reports on GOV.UK. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next release is due on 18 December. The department is committed to supporting staff wellbeing and provides a range of services, including occupational health support, access to an Employee Assistance Programme, and trained Mental Health First Aiders.

25 Nov 2025·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Asked

Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.

Reply

Sickness absence information in the format requested is not available. The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on Civil Service sickness absence in regular reports, which can be found here: Sickness absence in the Civil Service - GOV.UK. The next release is due to be published on 18 December 2025.

25 Nov 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many people are in the total absconder pool of foreign national offenders for which the latest data is available.

Reply

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

25 Nov 2025·Home Office·Answered
Asked

How many irregular migrants are in the total absconder pool for which the latest data is available.

Reply

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

24 Nov 2025·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
Asked

How many children under the age of 16 were administered puberty blockers, including through (a) clinical trials and (b) private routes in each of the last five years; and what adverse effects were reported.

Reply

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or ‘puberty blockers’ are used to treat several medical conditions in children and young people. These can include precocious puberty, some forms of cancer, and endometriosis. They have been used outside of their licenced indication to treat gender dysphoria. The following table shows the National Health Service prescriptions of puberty blockers for children aged 15 years old and under that were prescribed in England and dispensed in a community pharmacy or general practice in each year from 2020/21 to September 2025: Financial yearThe unique number of identifiable children aged 15 years old and under who received an NHS prescription of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists for all purposes2020/216702021/226562022/236442023/245542024/254702025/26342Source: ePACT2, which is sourced from the NHS Business Services Authority’s Information Services Data WarehouseNote: figures are unrounded.The NHS does not centrally collect data on secondary care prescribing. Information on the clinical indication for which these medications have been prescribed is not held. The Government does not hold data that shows how many children under 16 years old were administered puberty blockers through clinical trials or private routes. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has not previously funded trials specifically giving puberty suppressing hormones to children and information on non-NIHR funded trials is not held. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received three United Kingdom based suspected adverse drug reaction reports in which a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists analogue has been reported as being used in a child or young person for the purpose of puberty suppression in gender dysphoria.

24 Nov 2025·Department of Health and Social Care·Answered
Asked

Whether he has obtained legal advice on whether putting minors on puberty blockers constitutes a breach of child-safeguarding duties.

Reply

Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. That’s why we are following expert, independent advice from the Cass Review to implement a package of research to find out how the National Health Service can best support children and young people with gender incongruence. This includes the PATHWAYS trial, a carefully designed clinical trial to assess the relative benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence. The trial has received independent scientific, ethical, and regulatory approvals as well as a comprehensive review. The study design, including inclusion criteria and safety protocols, has been thoroughly scrutinised to protect young people's wellbeing. The process has included consideration of robust procedures relating to consent and eligibility. The trial was designed and will be delivered by an independent research team. This was in conjunction with patient and public involvement as well as clinical and legal experts, including those who specialise on medical ethics. The Department has not conducted its own parallel engagement with advocacy organisations on trial development but is represented, alongside patient and parent representatives, on the National Research Oversight Board to which the research team regularly reports.

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