Written questions by Hayes.

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

The Pride Flag was displayed for the following dates across the following building. 70 Whitehall – 30.06.25 – 05.07.25 (6 Days)

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

As of 01 March 2026, the Home Office had 186 employees with a visa type which allows them time limited right to work in the UK.

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

This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

What steps he is taking to increase (a) skills and (b) employment support for people in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in receipt of sickness benefits.

The Get Britain Working White Paper, published in autumn 2024, and Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in spring 2025, set out the Government’s plan on skills and employment support, including for those in receipt of sickness benefits. Our Pathways to Work guaranteed offer of personalised employment, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits is backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Once fully rolled out, we anticipate this will include a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support. In addition, Connect to Work is being made available across all of England and Wales. This is a voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme for individuals that are disabled, have a health condition or experiencing non-health related barriers to work to find and sustain employment. There is no benefit-related requirement for this programme. Lincolnshire County Council is the Lead Authority for the Lincolnshire Delivery Area and we expect them to open their service in spring 2026. WorkWell is a health and employment support service providing integrated holistic early help for health-related barriers to work. WorkWell is delivered in partnership with health systems and has so far supported approximately 25,000 disabled people and people with health conditions to stay in and re-enter work. Following the success of the pilot, it will continue to be delivered in existing sites and expand across all of England including the Lincolnshire ICB. The expansion is backed by up to £259 million investment over three years. Through the Adult Skills Fund in the 2025/26 academic year, we are spending £1.4 billion for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. In South Holland and the Deepings, the Adult Skills Fund fully funds learners who are unemployed or earn less than £25,750 (annual gross salary).

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

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

If he will ensure that decisions to section individuals are based on the merits of the case in question and not on ethnicity.

Decisions to detain patients under the Mental Health Act should not be based on ethnicity. The reforms under the Mental Health Act 2025 ensure that detention is used when absolutely necessary for patient and public safety. The planned reforms will not change the fundamental powers and purpose of the act, which is to detain and treat people when they are so unwell they become a risk to themselves or others.

How much of the Connect the Classroom funding will be spent on schools in South Holland and the Deepings constituency

As part of our Education Estates Strategy, a 10-year plan to transform schools and colleges across England, we will provide targeted support for digital connectivity. As part of this £325 million of funding will be used for the expansion of Connect the Classroom and to support hard to reach schools to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. New selection criteria will be announced in the summer.Connect the Classroom is currently supporting schools on the regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, ensuring that poor connectivity isn’t a barrier to school improvement. To date, over £900,000 of Connect the Classroom funding has been spent on schools in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

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

The department requires ministers and officials to follow the Non-Corporate Communications Channels (NCCCs) Guidance issued by the Government Digital Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business.

Whether Ministers and special advisers in his Department have met the Royal Household to discuss the rebranding of UK Government.

For information relating to stakeholder engagement, I refer the Hon. Member to Question 112168.

How many freedom of information requests his Department has responded to in each of the last five years.

Freedom of Information statistics for all central government bodies, including the Cabinet Office, are published on a quarterly and annual basis on Gov.UK at www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

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 Defence follows HM Government policy published on gov.uk on the use of WhatsApp. This recognises that non-corporate communication channels such as WhatsApp may be used exceptionally provided due care is given for security and recordkeeping. ‘Disappearing message’ functions are permitted by the HMG policy on the condition that “any such use does not impact on your recordkeeping or transparency responsibilities”.

If he will take steps to increase research and development on child brain tumours.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.We are committed to furthering our investment in brain cancer research and have already taken steps to stimulate scientific progress and build scientific capacity to do research on brain cancer.In January 2026, the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.The NIHR has also announced a new partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), with approximately £3 million to co-fund Brain Tumour Centres of Excellence, which includes the Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence. This investment will accelerate the move from foundational research to delivering innovative treatments for patients.In addition, the NIHR is actively engaged with CRUK alongside the health departments of the devolved administrations, through joint funding of the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network, a United Kingdom-wide consortium of specialist centres dedicated to early phase clinical trials and translational cancer research, including those for brain tumours. They have both an adult and a paediatric network.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including paediatric brain cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

What steps she has taken with local authorities to improve road infrastructure in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Lincolnshire County Council is the local highway authority for South Holland and The Deepings, and it sits within the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA). GLCCA are eligible to receive £368,646,000 in the next four years and received £73,478,000 million in highways maintenance funding in 2025/26.The Department also introduced a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January. All authorities are assessed annually and receive a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so use best practice. This system is designed to highlight where authorities need support, as well as to encourage continuous improvement.Lincolnshire County Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, amber for spend and amber for best practice.

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

The department’s policy is to follow the Cabinet Office’s published guidance on the use of non-corporate communication channels.

What steps he is taking to help improve access to immunotherapy for brain tumour patients.

The National Cancer Plan will support England to be a world leader on cancer research and innovation. The Department’s actions will support patients in England to get access to the latest breakthroughs in care and treatment. This will aid the health and care system to prevent, detect, and better treat and manage a wider range of cancers contributing to improved survival rates enabling 320,000 lives to be saved by 2035.Every cancer patient who would benefit from a genomic test, including patients with brain cancer, will receive one in a clinically relevant timeframe, supported by expanded genomic testing capacity through new NHS Genomic Medicine Service Lead Provider contracts from April 2026. This is in addition to increasing the use of whole genome sequencing in routine clinical practice for children with cancer or rare diseases.Furthermore, Genomic testing will support access to clinical trials, with plans to expand ctDNA and other biomarker testing to a wider range of cancers by 2030, enabling personalised treatment pathways for rare cancers such as brain tumours.Investment in four new aseptic medicines production hubs, operational by 2027, will expand national capacity for systemic anticancer therapies, including immunotherapies. To support improved outcomes for rare cancer patients, they will benefit from a move to specialist multi-disciplinary teams, that cover multiple providers. This will allow them to benefit from the input of specialist centres and so access to the best evidence care. This will be underpinned by continued engagement with rare cancer charities to ensure patients receive the right support after treatment.Rare cancers, including brain tumours, are an explicit research and access priority in the National Cancer Plan, supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) investment, such as the £13.7 million NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and measures to accelerate breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment.

If he will take steps to help improve access to whole genome sequencing for diagnosis of brain tumours.

The National Cancer Plan will support England to be a world leader on cancer research and innovation. The Department’s actions will support patients in England to get access to the latest breakthroughs in care and treatment. This will aid the health and care system to prevent, detect, and better treat and manage a wider range of cancers contributing to improved survival rates enabling 320,000 lives to be saved by 2035.Every cancer patient who would benefit from a genomic test, including patients with brain cancer, will receive one in a clinically relevant timeframe, supported by expanded genomic testing capacity through new NHS Genomic Medicine Service Lead Provider contracts from April 2026. This is in addition to increasing the use of whole genome sequencing in routine clinical practice for children with cancer or rare diseases.Furthermore, Genomic testing will support access to clinical trials, with plans to expand ctDNA and other biomarker testing to a wider range of cancers by 2030, enabling personalised treatment pathways for rare cancers such as brain tumours.Investment in four new aseptic medicines production hubs, operational by 2027, will expand national capacity for systemic anticancer therapies, including immunotherapies. To support improved outcomes for rare cancer patients, they will benefit from a move to specialist multi-disciplinary teams, that cover multiple providers. This will allow them to benefit from the input of specialist centres and so access to the best evidence care. This will be underpinned by continued engagement with rare cancer charities to ensure patients receive the right support after treatment.Rare cancers, including brain tumours, are an explicit research and access priority in the National Cancer Plan, supported by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) investment, such as the £13.7 million NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and measures to accelerate breakthroughs in diagnostics and treatment.

How many people were unemployed for over 12 months in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the last 12 months, and what proportion of those people were unemployed for 18 months or more.

The information requested is not available, due to small sample sizes on the survey used to estimate unemployment in constituencies. National level estimates of unemployment of more than 12 months duration are available in ONS Table UNEM01. There is published information on the number of years duration of UC claims by conditionality regime by constituency on Stat-Xplore (Stat-Xplore - Table View), but this does not identify 18 months as a cut-off.

How many public sector pensions have been forfeited due to convictions for violent crimes in each of the last 10 years.

HM Treasury does not administer public sector pension schemes, and does not hold this information.

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

The primary guidance that ministers and officials should follow is the Non-Corporate Communications Channels (NCCCs).Guidance issued by the Government Digital Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business

If she will make it her policy to revoke pensions from police officers convicted of violent crimes.

A police officer’s pension may be forfeited where an individual has been convicted of a criminal offence committed in connection with their service as a police officer, which the Secretary of State has certified as either gravely injurious to the interests of the State, or liable to lead to a serious loss of confidence.Decisions on whether to forfeit a police officer’s pension and, if so, to what extent, are a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) of the relevant force. Whilst a PCC cannot forfeit a pension in these circumstances without a certificate from the Secretary of State, the issuance of such a certificate does not oblige them to proceed with forfeiture. Such decisions are made independently of government, and on a case-by-case basis.It is not possible for the Secretary of State to proactively seek an application for a pension forfeiture certificate, or to issue such a certificate, without an application first being made by the relevant PCC. There are no current plans to amend these regulatory arrangements.