Written questions by McMahon.

Media and Sport, what is the total number and value of artwork owned by the UK government is in the national collection which is (a) on public display (b) in storage (c) loaned to organisations, institutions or individuals in the UK (d) loaned to organisations, institutions or individuals outside the UK.

Please note that not all artworks owned by the UK government are in the Government Art Collection. 15,118 artworks are in the Government Art Collection (GAC). 8,250 of these are on display in public exhibitions and across the Government’s global estate. These works are seen by hundreds of thousands visitors each year, promoting British art and contributing to cultural diplomacy in over 125 countries. 6,868 are not currently on display; of these some will be awaiting conservation and many will be reserved for a display or exhibition loan. 156 artworks are currently on loan to public exhibitions in the UK and 23 are on loan to public exhibitions outside of the UK.Under the new government the Government Art Collection has radically expanded its public engagement programme, sharing more of the artworks with communities through partnerships and by participating in local, national and international events. In 2025 the Collection was shown in Bradford for I AM ME, an exhibition curated by 125 young people seen by 22,000 visitors. In 2026 over sixty works will be shown at The Box in Plymouth, selected and co-curated by a group of young people. Since July 2024, 62% more artworks have been loaned from the GAC to public exhibitions.An estimated value of the Collection cannot be provided. Like other national collections, the GAC is not normally commercially insured nor treated as a financial asset. Against a background of constant fluctuations in the art markets, current valuations of every work of art in the Collection cannot be maintained. By governing legislation the national collections held by DCMS-sponsored museums are held in trust for the nation by trustees, not owned by the Government.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effect of local authority fees and charges for pest control services on the reporting of infestations by members of the public since 2015.

Defra has not made an assessment of local authority fees and charges for pest control services on the reporting of infestations by members of the public since 2015. Where rats and mice are concerned, under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, local authorities have a duty to deal with infestations regardless of any local fees and charges imposed. The Act makes local authorities responsible for ensuring that their districts are kept so far as practicable free from rats and mice.

What the total number of calls (a) answered (b) abandoned was for each public helpline numbers provided by his Department and its executive agencies for each year from 2015 to date.

This information is not held centrally and would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold to estimate these figures. Any member of the public can get in touch with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) helplines on +44 (0) 20 4551 0011 or via our website.

What estimate has been made of the average number of lost work days for (a) public sector employees (b) private sector employees (c) self employed patients waiting for pre-booked NHS operations and procedures.

No recent estimate has been made on the average number of lost work days for public sector employees, private sector employees, or self-employed patients waiting for pre-booked National Health Service operations and procedures. We recognise the importance of supporting patients to return to work where they can. That is why the Further Faster 20 (FF20) initiative was announced in September 2024, to deploy expert advice to NHS trusts in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity to get patients treated faster. This programme is part of the plans to reduce the number of people that are unable to work due to long-term sickness, which is at its highest level since the 1990s. FF20 co-exists alongside other interventions, including reducing demand, which are positively impacting the waiting list, and it is challenging to disentangle the impact of one from the other. The Government is committed to addressing health-related economic inactivity, which is crucial for enhancing public health, strengthening communities, and boosting the economy. By reducing economic inactivity, we can also alleviate demand on the NHS, thereby improving its performance. Analysis conducted by NHS England and the Office of National Statistics demonstrates there could be multi-billion-pound benefits in achieving the Government’s Plan for Change’s ambition to meet the referral-to-treatment standard for elective procedures.

How many vehicles were seized as a result of drivers not having the required insurance in place in England for each year from 2015 to date.

The Home Office does not centrally collect information on the number of vehicles seized by police forces in England and Wales, as a result of drivers not having the required insurance.The Home Office publishes information on Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences, including licence, insurance and record-keeping offences, as a part of its annual Police powers and procedures: Roads policing statistical publication.The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-walesUnder Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, police officers have the power to seize and remove a vehicle if they reasonably believe it is being driven without a valid driving licence or without insurance. Before seizing, the officer should warn the driver that the vehicle will be taken unless the required documents are produced immediately. Once seized, the vehicle is taken to a designated recovery compound, and the owner must provide proof of licence and insurance and pay statutory removal and storage fees to reclaim it. If unclaimed within the set period, the vehicle may be disposed of under Section 165B.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the cost to taxpayers of additional household, bulky, and garden waste collection charges levied by local authorities in England from 2015 to date.

Local authorities have had the option to charge households for a garden waste and bulky waste collections since 1992, as per the Controlled Waste (England & Wales) Regulations 2012. From 31 March 2026, local authorities are required to provide a garden waste collection service, which meets the new requirements set out in amended section 45A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, to households where it is requested. As per the Controlled Waste (England & Wales) Regulations 2012, they can continue to charge for garden waste services if they choose. Householders will be able to make their own decision about whether they wish to use this service or make other arrangements to dispose of their garden waste. The previous Government consulted in 2021 on proposals to require waste collection authorities to introduce a free minimum garden waste collection service. However, as set out in the government’s response published in October 2023, the economic and environmental case is not strong enough to proceed with this proposal. We believe that other Government policies, such as the requirement to collect food waste weekly, now offer higher carbon savings per pound spent than this policy. This includes the far higher savings associated with introducing weekly food waste collections

Representing the House of Commons Commission, how many events gambling companies held in the Houses of Parliament for each year from 2015 to date.

This information is not held in a format that would provide a reliable answer.The House of Commons does not maintain a category for “gambling companies” or “gambling-related events” within its event management systems. Event bookings are recorded under the name of the sponsoring Member and the organising body. Any link to an industry may not be obvious from the organiser name and events are also arranged on behalf of third parties such as industry groups, representative bodies, charities, or All-Party Parliamentary Groups.Gambling activity is not permitted at events on the parliamentary estate. Only small charitable raffles, which comply with the House’s internal guidance and the relevant legislation, may take place.Catering Events data is proactively published and available on the Parliament website: Commons Catering events booking data - UK Parliament.

What the total number of calls (a) answered (b) abandoned was for each public helpline numbers provided by his Department and its executive agencies for each year from 2015 to date.

The information requested is not held in the format requested. The NHS England 111 calls offered and abandoned are all published. The NHS 111 Minimum Data Set was the official source of Integrated Urgent Care data from 2011 until the end of March 2021, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/iucadc-new-from-april-2021/nhs-111-minimum-data-set/The annual national data is provided for each financial year. The Integrated Urgent Care Aggregate Data Collection was published as experimental statistics from June 2019, using April 2019 data, until May 2021, using March 2021 data. This data collection is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/iucadc-new-from-april-2021/nhs-111-minimum-data-set/

What the total number of calls (a) answered (b) abandoned was for each public helpline number provided by her Department and its executive agencies for each year from 2015 to date.

Every year, HMRC answers millions of calls. A call is recorded as ‘answered’ when a customer got through to an adviser after hearing the automated messages and choosing the option to speak to an adviser (this is also referred to as ‘adviser attempts handled’ (AAH) in HMRC published data). A call is recorded as ‘abandoned’ when a customer hears the automated messages and chooses the option to speak to an adviser, but then hangs up before their call is answered. Customers may hang up before their call is answered for a number of reasons. For example, they may have had their query answered by HMRC’s recorded messages, they may have found the information they require online or they may have decided to call back another time. The below tables provide a breakdown of calls answered and calls abandoned over the past ten years for HMRC’s main helplines: Calls answered2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26 YTDChild Benefit1,815,1662,071,5902,009,1351,777,7361,712,3001,386,8181,569,2671,377,8171,017,1401,142,678833,880National Insurance1,483,0951,671,6771,475,4161,377,8551,349,9291,069,7101,247,3491,242,9431,097,0361,044,772682,058Tax Credits Helpline and Tax Credits Payment Helpline – combined figures11,509,09011,581,9139,265,2066,671,7784,557,1612,343,0441,895,3841,587,6331,147,483647,815109,086Corporation Tax373,190500,940508,270475,961441,835378,406507,372506,145421,603378,862231,741Stamp duty land tax112,333154,415164,259144,667131,610100,624122,429122,582107,538103,22971,526Agent Dedicated Line1,707,2241,851,7531,432,4051,360,2341,374,380705,308968,9251,041,355640,405503,105289,091Construction Industry Scheme Helpline584,630496,413376,861343,789334,675225,708293,478281,009239,920168,99094,016Employers Helpline819,618984,212976,437939,286755,040588,062650,432686,890589,002506,637328,452Online Services Helpline675,1581,073,270982,535730,981635,733548,319688,575780,038978,228932,393611,680PAYE6,513,0628,913,0088,199,6217,707,5647,127,5564,703,8785,973,9095,908,2094,405,3654,586,3523,177,096Self Assessment Helpline2,389,4003,094,0583,444,4523,219,5523,236,7192,560,8622,602,9172,643,6911,441,3801,904,3631,113,666VAT-282,301644,072585,882771,572500,095623,494657,205486,335395,747277,184 Calls abandoned2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-252025-26 YTDChild Benefit653,242190,353147,771171,017224,611194,436267,186410,792332,543256,223146,160National Insurance891,375126,759118,987156,762132,920109,035196,346415,222336,696277,05884,032Tax Credits Helpline and Tax Credits Payment Helpline – combined figures2,295,327596,654726,769599,007539,088360,618565,334420,411334,029208,92310,735Corporation Tax99,49837,06451,40645,76363,95735,26778,89489,90068,08456,57435,108Stamp duty land tax16,5189,96912,63413,92416,3216,20810,55617,64810,1088,3845,989Agent Dedicated Line13,82124,21911,4135,1277,855175,775110,683119,404115,31685,35628,577Construction Industry Scheme Helpline72,50031,31037,28939,09533,56629,73236,74349,25037,57419,08710,167Employers Helpline226,89050,28863,01966,16362,85263,13586,365138,787122,053125,47081,521Online Services Helpline350,563138,02797,650108,720119,130126,824128,903235,456197,111226,44676,031PAYE2,755,469401,321840,726917,2321,067,3041,427,8421,303,2841,769,3381,765,2271,248,174628,559Self Assessment Helpline1,193,023206,772372,471380,719443,148611,544689,0071,144,135704,546523,645201,569VAT-13,14343,17384,53972,64862,494127,450162,969150,24472,01436,010 Further telephony data is published as part of HMRC’s quarterly performance reports: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates And HMRC publishes a historical data series as part of its annual report and accounts: www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025Data covering VOA helplines:Financial YearAnsweredAbandoned2015-16283711491732016-17327896673482017-18232687563342018-19225205728982019-20261216974602020-21106016275542021-22222467389492022-23218353378962023-24202043521912024-25201663712252025-2026 (YTD)12931919618

What estimate has been made of the total number of food hygiene officers in English local government for each year from 2010 to date.

Local authorities must ensure they perform official controls on all food businesses regularly, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequency. The Food Law Code of Practice provides these food hygiene intervention frequencies with a higher risk and/or non-compliant will receive an intervention more frequently than those compliant or lower risk.Data pertaining to the average time between food hygiene visits undertaken for hot food takeaway venues in England is not held by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as we do not categorise food establishment in that way. This data could be gathered individually from local authorities.Data reported to the FSA on the number of authorised food hygiene officers in England by local authorities via their returns data is as follows:- 1,178 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2021/22;- 1,605 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2022/23;- 1,797 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2023/24; and- 1,828 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2024/25.This information does not include regulatory support officers or trainees working towards suitable qualifications. Prior to 2021/22 only questions relating to full time equivalent posts were requested from local authorities in relation to their resources.

What the current average time is between food hygiene visits undertaken for hot food takeaway venues in England.

Local authorities must ensure they perform official controls on all food businesses regularly, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequency. The Food Law Code of Practice provides these food hygiene intervention frequencies with a higher risk and/or non-compliant will receive an intervention more frequently than those compliant or lower risk.Data pertaining to the average time between food hygiene visits undertaken for hot food takeaway venues in England is not held by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as we do not categorise food establishment in that way. This data could be gathered individually from local authorities.Data reported to the FSA on the number of authorised food hygiene officers in England by local authorities via their returns data is as follows:- 1,178 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2021/22;- 1,605 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2022/23;- 1,797 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2023/24; and- 1,828 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2024/25.This information does not include regulatory support officers or trainees working towards suitable qualifications. Prior to 2021/22 only questions relating to full time equivalent posts were requested from local authorities in relation to their resources.

What cross government support is provided to local authorities to identify the location of, and those buried in, historic unmarked mass child graves in England such as those discovered in Royton, Oldham.

The Government recognises the distress caused to bereaved parents by these historic practices and we commend the work that families and charities have been doing to highlight this issue and support other bereaved parents. We are working across Government to better support parents searching for the final resting place of their child’s remains and will ensure they are given as much help as possible. Ministers from across Government will be meeting shortly to discuss this issue, to ensure effective cross-Government coordination and support for affected families.Tracing a baby’s grave or a record of cremation can be a very difficult time for people both mentally and emotionally. It is important, therefore, that parents searching for the final resting place of their child’s remains are given as much help as possible. The Government expects all hospitals and burial and cremation authorities to assist by providing all information and records available to them, to any parents that enquire about what happened to their stillborn babies and their final resting place, in a timely manner.The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available over £69 billion for local government. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.Standards from the mid-1980s onwards brought an end to the historic practice of placing the remains of stillborn babies’ bodies in unmarked graves. The current death certification process means that this historic practice is no longer possible.

Whether her Department expects bus usage in (a) England (b) Greater Manchester to return to pre-covid levels.

The Government is committed to helping local leaders improve local bus services and grow usage across England, including in Greater Manchester, whilst recognising that travel patterns have changed since the COVID pandemic. We are taking action to give local leaders the powers they need to deliver better bus services for passengers, including through the Bus Services Act 2025, and empowering them to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, strengthened Enhanced Partnerships or local authority bus companies.We are also investing over £1 billion in 2025/26 to support and improve bus services in England outside London, of which £66.4 million has been allocated to Greater Manchester Combined Authority. This funding can be used to introduce measures to help increase bus usage, for example expanding services and improving reliability.

What estimate has been made of the proportion of GP practices with (a) AED defibrillators (b) ECGs (electrocardiogram) on the premises.

Data on the provision of this equipment is held by local integrated care boards.

What funding is provided to community based organisations in (a) Greater Manchester (b) Oldham to support men's mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health remains a core priority for England, including in Greater Manchester and Oldham. That's why nationally, we're investing £688 million to transform services, including £26 million to support people in mental health crisis. We are introducing Neighbourhood Mental Health Care for adults, which will bring together community, crisis, and inpatient mental health care into a single, seamless offer.On 19 November, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community, and family networks, and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention.Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we are launching a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve mental health literacy, by embedding health messaging into the matchday experience. We also announced the Suicide Prevention Support Pathfinders programme for middle-aged men. This program will invest up to £3.6 million over three years in areas of England where middle-aged men are at most risk of taking their own lives and will tackle the barriers that they face in seeking support.Responsibility for onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.

Whether he plans to strengthen or update legal rights of the deceased.

The Government is currently reviewing the law in two respects which will strengthen and update the rights of deceased persons (and assist their families and beneficiaries).The first is in relation to responding to the Law Commission’s comprehensive report Modernising Wills Law, published earlier this year. The Government is giving careful consideration to the report and will be announcing next steps in the near future.Secondly, the Law Commission is currently undertaking a wide-ranging project on the law of burials, cremations and new funerary methods. The final strand of this project, Rights and Obligations relating to Funerary Methods, Funerals and Remains, will commence in early 2026 and is expected to consider whether funeral wishes should be binding, who should have the right to make decisions about the funeral, and how to resolve disputes. The Government will respond to the Law Commission’s recommendations once they are available.

How many (a) adults (b) children are not registered with a dentist in (1) Greater Manchester (2) Oldham.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements. Therefore, data is not available on the number of adults and children not registered with a dentist in Greater Manchester and Oldham.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton constituency, this is the Greater Manchester ICB.

Whether he plans to introduce measures to prevent Members of Parliament receiving income for posted content from social media platforms.

The Government is committed to restoring a politics of service, consistent with the high standards expected of public officeholders. That is why, within a month of the election, the Government brought forward proposals to tighten the rules around MPs’ outside interests, and deliver on our manifesto commitment to ban paid advocacy. We welcome the ongoing work by the Committee on Standards to review the rules relating to MPs’ outside interests, and look forward to receiving its findings.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals to introduce an automatic approval assumption for developments near train stations on (a) levels and (b) locations of houses in multiple occupation where Article 4 directives are in place; and whether he plans to include light rail tram stations alongside or in the definition of train stations.

The proposals in question do not involve granting automatic permission to suitable planning applications.They will cover development within a reasonable walking distance of well-connected tram stations, including light rail tram stations.The proposals will not affect existing permitted development rights or Article 4 directions.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of unused medication held by patients in England.

No assessment has been made of the cost of unused medication held by patients in England. The Government seeks to have a coordinated approach to prevent wastage as much as possible to improve inefficiencies and reduce costs for the taxpayer. Primary care networks are required to ensure that Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for high-risk cohorts are implemented. SMRs are an evidence based comprehensive review of a person’s medication, their views, concerns, and safety. The use of SMRs can reduce harmful polypharmacy and medicine wastage.