Written questions by Hayes.

Whether any civil servants hired by her Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.The Home Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.

How many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

The department currently sponsors 28 individuals on a Skilled Worker visa through a Certificate of Sponsorship.

How many people have his Department taken on internship schemes open only to those with certain protected characteristics in each of the last three years.

In each of the last 3 years Cabinet Office has placed less than 5 people on internship schemes open only to those with certain protected characteristics. The exact number has been redacted to avoid identification of individuals.

How many staff within his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

39 civil servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in the Cabinet Office. Before they can be considered for visa sponsorship, all candidates for Cabinet Office posts must meet the Civil Service nationality rules which operate alongside UK immigration rules.

How many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

As at 5 March 2026, 163 individuals are recorded as being employed on a visa by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) or its Arm’s Length Bodies. MOD Civil Service jobs generally require candidates to be either UK nationals, Commonwealth citizens, or EEA nationals. Foreign nationals with valid visas, such as Skilled Worker Visas, are eligible to apply but must be able to provide evidence of their right to work.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

Whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Cabinet Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.

How many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

We do not disclose the exact number of staff with visas for data privacy reasons, but can confirm that fewer than five staff members at HM Treasury are reliant on a visa for their right to work in the UK.

Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has less than five employees who are reliant on a visa for employment. The exact number has been redacted to avoid identification of individuals.

How many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

47 individuals in the Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Innovation and Technology, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

There are 55 members of staff in the Department that hold a visa which permits them to work in the United Kingdom. This figure includes staff on work and other visa routes. It does not include individuals granted pre or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. All staff are required to demonstrate a valid right to work in accordance with Home Office requirements.

How many NHS dental appointments have been (a) delivered and (b) cancelled in Lincolnshire in each of the last 3 years.

The following table shows the number of National Health Service dental treatments delivered in the first seven months of the 2025/26 financial year, in the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board: Financial yearNumber of NHS dental treatments delivered in the first 7 months of the financial year2025/26282,676 (partial year)Source: Monthly National Dental Activity data – England July 2023 to October 2025, available at the following link: https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/dental-activity-data-england-july-2023-to-october-2025 In addition, the following table shows the available data for the number of NHS dental treatments delivered in 2023/24 and 2024/25, in the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board: Financial yearNumber of NHS dental treatments delivered2024/25434,5582023/24423,868Source: dental statistics for England 2024/25 and 2023/24, available at the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425 Data for dentistry is measured in courses of treatment, not appointments. One course of treatment can be more than one appointment. Data on the number of NHS dental appointments cancelled is not held.The data for 2023/24 and 2024/25 are not directly comparable with the 2025/26 data due to the 2025/26 data being provisional. Final data for 2025/26 will be published in August 2026. Furthermore, the 2025/26 data covers 7 months of activity, but the 2023/24 and 2024/25 data covers the full 12-month period.

How many staff within her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

The Department for Transport (central) currently sponsors visas for 33 skilled workers and has an additional 19 employees working on other visa types.

How many and what proportion of staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

The information requested is not held centrally. Gathering this data would therefore incur disproportionate costs.

Whether it is his Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

The Ministry of Justice's Information Management Policy explains that non-corporate communication channels such as WhatsApp 'must not be used unless absolutely necessary'. The policy directs staff to the Non-corporate communication channels for government business guidance, which is the primary guidance that ministers and officials should follow. Recordkeeping responsibilities are listed in paragraphs 19 to 24.

How many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

There are 70 members of staff in the Department that hold a visa which permits them to work in the United Kingdom. This figure includes staff on work and other visa routes. It does not include individuals granted pre or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. All staff are required to demonstrate a valid right to work in accordance with Home Office requirements.

Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Currently MHCLG have 6 employees who have indefinite leave to remain in the UK and 39 employees who require a visa.

On how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by his Department.

The Pride Flag was flown for five days on the Department’s main building in 2025.

On how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by her Department.

During 2025 the Pride Flag was not flown on 1 Horse Guards Road on behalf of HM Treasury HM Treasury is only one department in GOGGS (Government Offices Great George Street, encompassing 1 Horse Guards Road and 100 Parliament Street). Flag flying is administered by DCMS and Government Property Agency.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of rough sleepers are not British nationals.

The government recently published the annual rough sleeping snapshot count for autumn 2025 and the latest management information providing data from September – December 2025. Both of these publications include data on the nationality of people sleeping rough and can be accessed through gov.uk here.