Written questions by Hayes.

What quantity of illegal meat was seized at ports in England in each of the last five years.

Since 1st April 2020 the following number of illegal meat imports were seized by Border Force across England:YearTotal Seizures Amount Seized in KG1st April 2020 - 31st March 20211,23214,5291st April 2021 - 31st March 20221,51119,8321st April 2022 - 31st March 20231,46234,5901st April 2023 - 31st March 20241,82370,9781st April 2024 - 31st July 202463240,164 More recent data is not held in an accessible format and cannot be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to reverse the decline of the swift population in England.

The decline in swifts is likely due to the lack of insect food for chicks, poor weather, and lack of nesting spaces. However, to better understand and develop solutions to address the causes of decline, we have funded projects through Natural England's Species Recovery Programme. Additionally, The National Planning Policy Framework explicitly promotes features which support priority and/or threatened species such as swifts. As part of our work to develop a set of national policies for decision making, we intend to consult on changes which require swift bricks to be incorporated into new buildings unless there are compelling reasons which preclude their use, or which would make them ineffective. As an interim step ahead of the consultation we have published updated Planning Practice Guidance setting out how swift bricks are expected to be used in new development, and signposting to further guidance including the British Industry Standard, Part 2 of the National Model Design Code, the Future Homes Hub Homes for Nature Guidance, and the RSPB’s Guide to Nestboxes.

What the nationalities were of the non-British nationals released from prison under the Standard Determinate Sentences 40 releases that took place between September 2024 and December 2024.

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. On 10 September 2024, the Government therefore took the unavoidable step to move the release point for certain standard determinate sentences from 50% to 40% (‘SDS40’).We have published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency.Please find statistics on overall prison population nationality here: Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK.Please find statistics on SDS40 release nationality here: Standard Determinate Sentence 40 (SDS40) : September 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

If he will list the organisations his Department has consulted on its upcoming acquired brain injury action plan.

I attended the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum’s (UKABIF’s) annual summit in Manchester on 3 November 2025, where I discussed our forthcoming acquired brain injury (ABI) plan with a number of stakeholders, patients with lived experience and healthcare professionals with a specialist interest in ABI.The Government’s ABI action plan will be published in the first half of 2026. It will be a landmark step in delivering the joined-up approach that people with ABI deserve.

When his Department intends to publish the acquired brain injury action plan.

I attended the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum’s (UKABIF’s) annual summit in Manchester on 3 November 2025, where I discussed our forthcoming acquired brain injury (ABI) plan with a number of stakeholders, patients with lived experience and healthcare professionals with a specialist interest in ABI.The Government’s ABI action plan will be published in the first half of 2026. It will be a landmark step in delivering the joined-up approach that people with ABI deserve.

If she will publish the list of (a) nationalities and (b) age group range of the 42 illegal migrants removed to France under the UK-France treaty.

A full evaluation of the pilot will be completed after its conclusion in June 2026. We will not provide regular updates on ongoing operations, as this involves sensitive information that could prove valuable to the organised immigration crime gangs that are behind small boats crossings.

If she will publish the (a) nationalities and (b) age group range of the illegal migrants arrested following raids carried out by Immigration Enforcement between October 2024 and September 2025.

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 the quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics while developing new statistics for future release.We do not routinely publish the information you have requested, and we are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many of the illegal migrants who were not deported after their arrest following raids carried out by Immigration Enforcement between October 2024 to September 2025 were moved to immigration removal centres.

We do not routinely publish the information you have requested, and we are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many people attempting to illegally enter the UK by stowing away in (a) lorries and (b) other road vehicles have been apprehended in each of the past ten years.

Irregular migration data, which includes figures for clandestine detections at UK ports, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#irregular-migration.The Home Office does not disclose statistics regarding the specific vehicle involved in these detections.

How many of the migrants removed to France under the UK-France treaty were given payments ahead of their removal.

No migrants were given payments to return to France under the Treaty.

Whether members of the armed forces will be required to have digital ID cards.

There will be no requirement to enrol in digital ID. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this Parliament. All UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over will be able to obtain one, and over time, use it to seamlessly access a range of public and private sector services.

How many NHS dentists were employed in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in each of the last ten years.

The data for how many NHS dentists were employed in each of the last ten years in Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, which includes South Holland and The Deepings constituency, is published annually. The latest 2024/25 data is published by the NHS Business Services Authority and is available at the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425 Figures prior to 2019/20 were published by NHS Digital and are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics We do not hold data on how many NHS dentists are employed at constituency level.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of operating the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme.

In August a £100m funding boost was announced for this financial year to bring forward a number of projects to secure our borders. This includes our landmark pilot with France which the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme is part of. More on this £100 million comprehensive funding package can be found at the following link: Investment for Border Security Command to tackle people smuggling gangs - GOV.UK There are commercially sensitive arrangements as part of the UK/European Applicant Transfer Scheme which we do not comment on. To do otherwise could harm our ability to get the best value for money for the British taxpayer.

Communities and Local Government, what (a) training and (b) resources her Department has provided to fire and rescue services to respond to fires at large photovoltaic solar developments.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure firefighters receive the training they need to safely respond to incidents, and to do so in light of their individual areas’ risk profiles and Community Risk Management Plans. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities. Standalone fire and rescue authorities will see an increase in core spending power of up to £69.1 million in 2025-26: including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6% in cash terms compared to 2024-25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions and mitigate risks in their local areas are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

How many extradition cases have involved requests for European Arrests Warrants issued under part 1 from European countries for requested persons who were not citizens of the requesting state have been heard in courts in England and Wales in the past five years.

The Home Office does not hold this information requested.The National Crime Agency is the competent authority for all extradition requests between the UK and EU Member States and, as such, is the holder of all verified data concerning UK-EU extradition cooperation.

What information her Department holds on the number of approved driving instructors in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Lincolnshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data.

On how many occasions (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in her Department have met British Refugee Council since July 2024.

All ministerial meetings are declared through the transparency returns.

How many extradition requests the UK has made to EU states in which the requested individual is a third-party migrant and not a citizen of the UK in each of the past five years.

The Home Office does not hold this information requested.The National Crime Agency is the competent authority for all extradition requests between the UK and EU Member States and, as such, is the holder of all verified data concerning UK-EU extradition cooperation.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that critical services continue to run in the event of a major internet outage.

Government has a robust set of policies in place to ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes in place, and to ensure continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.The Scotland Office uses the information technology system provided and operated by the Cabinet Office, which has responsibility for all hardware and software procurement, administration, support maintenance, security, and integrity of the system.We work closely with the Cabinet Office to understand the range of possible impacts from short to long term outage or disruption and to minimise the likelihood, impact, or time and cost of recovery. Measures to respond to major internet outages are built into our Business Continuity Planning...

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that critical services continue to run in the event of a major internet outage.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provides IT services, including cyber security to my Department. The government has a robust set of policies in place to ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes in place, and to ensure continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.