Written questions by Lowe.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of food served in his Department that is British.

The Government, in line with manifesto commitments, is considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. In order to understand where we are starting from, we are currently assessing what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. In due course, this will tell us the proportion of food served by public sector organisations, including Defra, that is British.

How many and what proportion of NHS staff were non-patient facing in each of the last ten years.

The following table shows the number and percentage of the full time equivalent (FTE) workforce employed by National Health Service trusts and other core NHS organisations in England that are in NHS infrastructure support roles, which represents a proxy for non-patient facing roles, as of each July from 2015 to 2025: Total staffNHS infrastructure support staffPercentage of staff who are in infrastructure supportJuly 20151,005,767156,83915.6%July 20161,027,898160,97815.7%July 20171,046,828165,25215.8%July 20181,065,395169,34815.9%July 20191,099,144177,90316.2%July 20201,166,566184,14915.8%July 20211,195,405193,64316.2%July 20221,225,470202,37616.5%July 20231,292,820214,19216.6%July 20241,346,030219,30616.3%July 20251,372,429218,96216.0%Source: the data can be found in the file titled “Preliminary - NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations - data tables” from worksheet one of the NHS Hospital and Community Health Service Monthly Workforce Statistics, published by NHS England, and available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsNotes:the NHS infrastructure support staffing group includes staff defined as managers, senior managers, non-patient facing clerical/administrative staff, and maintenance/works staff;FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. One would indicate they work a full set of hours, while 0.5 would indicate that they worked half time; andthese data relate to the Hospital and Community Health Service workforce directly employed in NHS trusts and other core organisations, for instance integrated care boards for the latest data point, who are paid.

What the (a) cost for translation of and (b) percentage of communications in each language in e-RS communication letters was so far this year.

NHS England only incurs costs for changes to templates or when new languages are added. Therefore, the primary cost is associated with template updates, not per-letter translation. No changes have been made to templates in 2025, nor have additional languages been added, so no costs for translation have been incurred.There are no additional variable costs for providing a translated letter, as an English language version of the letter would be sent instead. The following table shows the total number of e-RS letters as well as the proportion of these letters that were translated, sorted by the language they were translated to, for 2024/25 and for 2025/26 to date: 2024/252025/26Total e-RS letters1,066,650402,685Arabic0.64%0.57%Bengali0.82%0.74%Gujarati0.29%0.30%Kurdish0.21%0.18%Persian0.22%0.20%Polish0.75%0.73%Punjabi0.50%0.45%Somali0.26%0.22%Turkish0.36%0.35%Urdu1.35%1.27%Albanian0.15%0.13%Chinese0.06%0.06%French0.17%0.15%Greek0.08%0.08%Hindi0.17%0.15%Hungarian0.09%0.09%Italian0.18%0.16%Lithuanian0.12%0.10%Portuguese0.32%0.30%Romanian0.48%0.44%Russian0.16%0.17%Slovak0.15%0.13%Spanish0.30%0.26%Tamil0.24%0.18%Wolof0.00%0.01%Total translated8.05%7.44%

How many applications were made to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in each of the last three years; and how many and what proportion of those applications were unsuccessful.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) regularly publishes data on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme to improve transparency. Information related to COVID-19 vaccine claim volumes and outcomes up to June 2025 is available at the following link:https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19Claims that have not been assessed may have been rejected before a medical assessment took place as they did not meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme. Other claims are still live, but the NHS BSA may be awaiting medical records. Medical assessments cannot take place until sufficient medical records have been received to allow for a robust assessment.

What amount of charges were issued by NHS trusts for treatment to non-UK residents not entitled to free secondary healthcare in each of the last three financial years; how much of that amount was successfully recovered in each of the last three financial years; and what the outstanding amount is.

We have taken ‘non-UK residents’ to mean chargeable overseas visitors. The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England as part of the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts. The cash payments received by the National Health Service from overseas visitors are also published annually in the consolidated NHS provider accounts. The information for the last three years is available at the following links:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6745b836e7cf64050b8098c4/consolidated-nhs-provider-accounts_annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024_print-ready.pdf (page 79)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676150ef26a2d1ff18253415/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-web-accessible.pdf (page 284)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b2a4fc5f8ce2000d3ae544/consolidated-provider-accounts-2022-to-2023-print.pdf (page 74)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b236c81702b10013cb1289/DHSC-Annual-report-and-accounts-2022-2023-web-accessible.pdf (page 275)https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/consolidated-provider-accounts-21-22-final.pdf (page 66)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63e50dc0d3bf7f05c8e947a8/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-2022_web-accessible.pdf (page 319)NHS charges can be recovered up to six years from the date of invoice, and therefore the amount recovered in a year does not necessarily mean it was identified in the same financial year.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment his Department has made of the levels of English language proficiency of staff working in local authority (a) housing and (b) social services.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. They are expected to organise their workforce so that it is best placed to meet the needs of their residents.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to require local authorities to ensure staff in customer-facing roles are fluent in English.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. They are expected to organise their workforce so that it is best placed to meet the needs of their residents.

Whether her Department will extend English language testing requirements to foreign nationals working in (a) private security or (b) enforcement roles contracted by the Department.

The Private Security Industry Act (PSIA) 2001 created the Security Industry Authority (SIA) as the regulator of the private security industry.The SIA sets minimum training standards and issues licenses to applicants who have acquired the correct licence-linked qualifications. Before a learner can take a licence-linked qualification, they must prove they have English language skills to B2 standard on the Home Office list of recommended qualifications. This standard means that the learner has a degree of fluency in English. The SIA reviews training standards every five years to ensure that individuals seeking to work in regulated roles meet refreshed minimum standards, and that skills keep pace with emerging threats to public safety.Where overseas nationals fill enforcement roles contracted by the Home Office, they require an immigration permission to do so, and they may be subject to English language requirements mandated by the Immigration Rules. For the Skilled Worker immigration route, the required level of English is being increased from B1 to B2 level (effective from 8 January 2026).

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to local authorities of (a) translation and (b) interpretation services.

Local authorities are independent employers responsible for the management of their own workforces and compliance with all relevant employment legislation. They are expected to organise their workforce so that it is best placed to meet the needs of their residents.

If she will publish a breakdown of her Department's August 2024 individual level analysis of Income Tax brackets by (a) ethnicity and (b) nationality.

HMRC do not publish individual level analysis of Income Tax brackets by (a) ethnicity or (b) nationality.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that immigration (a) caseworkers and (b) interpreters meet English language standards.

The Home Office recruit using standard Civil Service recruitment processes and all our immigration caseworkers must meet minimum Civil Service recruitment standards. The appropriate level of English is assured through the comprehensive recruitment and onboarding process. Interpreters are not Home Office employees and undertake freelance work commissioned by the Home Office through contracts for services. Standards required to apply for an interpreter role are set out in our published ‘Guidance for UKVI freelance interpreters’. This includes a list of accredited qualifications. Quality is maintained through our comprehensive review strategy. Interviewing officers are issued with Interpreter Management Team monitoring forms, which they are asked to complete if they have any comments on the interpreter used in an assignment (because the interpreter performed particularly well or badly, for example). Interviews may also be monitored for training and security purposes. Applications for immigration caseworker roles and interpreter roles include a written application and, if appropriate, an interview. The written application and interview are conducted and assessed in English.

If she will make English language proficiency a mandatory condition for (a) police recruits, (b) community support officers and (c) detention custody staff.

This Government is committed to ensuring consistent, high standards for entry into the police, including for police staff. As set out in Regulations, police officers must demonstrate competence in written and spoken English.We are working closely with the College of Policing to ensure that forces continue to make improvements to all entry routes. As part of this work, the College of Policing is currently consulting police leaders to assess and determine the appropriate English language standard required for all policing roles.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) teachers and (b) classroom assistants (i) whose first language is not English and (ii) who have not undertaken a recognised English proficiency test.

The requested information on the first language of teachers and classroom assistants is not collected centrally.Information on the qualifications held by teachers is available in the 'School workforce in England' accredited official statistics publication. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

Whether his Department plans to introduce English language learning as a condition of benefit receipt for foreign nationals.

The Department can require that claimants attend English language courses as a work preparation activity if this will make them more likely to find work, or to increase the hours they work. A sanction - which is a reduction in the amount of Universal Credit paid - is applicable where a claimant fails to meet a work preparation requirement without good reason.

Whether his Department requires (a) Jobcentre staff and (b) benefits advisers to demonstrate English language proficiency as a condition of employment.

DWP complies with the requirement of the Immigration Act 2016 in requiring all of its employees in public-facing roles to speak English fluently, as outlined in the Government’s code of practice at www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirement-for-public-sector-workers-code-of-practice. This includes jobcentre staff and benefits advisers.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of benefits claimants who require translation support during appointments; and at what cost to the public purse.

The Department does not hold data on the number of individual claimants who require interpreter support.

How many and what proportion of NHS staff have not met minimum English language proficiency standards in the last five years.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English as part of the regulator’s assessment of their healthcare qualifications, knowledge, and skills. The process and accepted evidence for demonstrating English language proficiency varies according to regulator.The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. There may also be tests undertaken as part of the process of visa applications where these are applicable to staff. The Department does not hold information on the rate of success or failure of any of these tests.Roles undertaken in the National Health Service by staff who are not required to be registered healthcare professionals may have language and communications skills defined and assessed locally as part of recruitment processes.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) agency staff, (b) overseas recruits and (c) other NHS staff can communicate effectively in English.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English. This process varies according to regulator, the healthcare role, and the circumstances of applicants The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. General practitioners, dentists, and opticians delivering NHS primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process. For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an NHS England assessor or with satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.In regard to care workers, since February 2022, the main route for care workers wishing to come to the UK has been through the Health and Care visa. To qualify for this visa, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the B1 standard of English language. On 14 October 2025, the Home Office laid rules changes to increase the English Language requirement to Level B2. These changes will come into effect from 8 January 2026.

What guidance his Department provides to NHS trusts on ensuring that (a) reception and (b) administrative staff are proficient in English.

National Health Service trusts are independent bodies and as such have responsibility for their own recruitment policies and for ensuring their appointment procedures are aligned with employment law and good human resources practice.Employers have responsibility for assuring that individuals have the necessary written and verbal linguistic skills in line with the English language requirement for public sector workers: code of practice, in addition to any necessary professional skills and qualifications, when recruiting to NHS roles. The English language requirement for public sector workers: code of practice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirement-for-public-sector-workers-code-of-practice

Whether his Department plans to introduce annual English language reassessments for NHS staff trained overseas.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English. This process varies according to regulator, the healthcare role, and the circumstances of applicants The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. General practitioners, dentists, and opticians delivering NHS primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process. For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an NHS England assessor or with satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.In regard to care workers, since February 2022, the main route for care workers wishing to come to the UK has been through the Health and Care visa. To qualify for this visa, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the B1 standard of English language. On 14 October 2025, the Home Office laid rules changes to increase the English Language requirement to Level B2. These changes will come into effect from 8 January 2026.