Written questions by Hayes.

For what purposes Ofgem has used AI in the last 12 months.

Ofgem is currently trialling applications of AI, though it is currently in the early stages of exploring the benefits, risks and appropriateness of AI. Ofgem adheres to the Government AI Principles. Trials initiated in the last 12 months include: Social media analysis for monitoring supplier performance and emerging trends in consumer experience.Identifying non-compliance with supplier licence conditions.Providing draft responses prior to human review, to consumer queries.Generating programming codePredicting the financial impact of non-compliance in Ofgem managed schemesSelecting targeted cases for audit to identify fraud across schemesUsing the Government Communication Service (GCS) Connect platform for GCS members, internal to Government

What steps her Department is taking to support children in foster care in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

The government is committed to ensuring that every child in care grows up with the love, care and support they need to achieve and thrive.The government is supporting children in care by expanding ‘The Mockingbird Family Model’, which is an innovative, evidence-based approach. Relationships are central to the design of the programme, which involves six to ten satellite families grouped into a constellation around a hub home carer. In East Midlands, this is being delivered as part of the Foster with East Midlands recruitment hub, which launched in March 2024 and comprises of four local authorities, including Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire.Across England, ten fostering regional hubs, covering 64% of all local authorities, have been set up to reform the way areas recruit and retain foster carers. An additional £15 million was announced to support this programme at the Autumn Budget 2024 and we intend to move towards full national roll out in the next financial year. Lincolnshire is not currently in a hub, but departmental officials have spoken with local authority leaders about their options to become part of an existing or new hub. In the past year, Lincolnshire participated in Fosterlink, a department funded diagnostic and analysis project to support improved recruitment of foster carers.

Innovation and Technology, for what purposes the UK Space Agency has used AI in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. As part of a government-wide trial run by the Government Digital Service, the UK Space Agency has access to the Microsoft Copilot AI tool. This capability has been used to support internal-facing information exploitation activity such as generating minutes for meetings, creating summaries of transcripts and documentation, and producing initial drafts of documents. During the trial, the UK Space Agency has drawn on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, such as the Generative AI Framework, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, and the Data Ethics Framework, to inform its use of AI tools, and has been working closely with the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice and to provide feedback on the Copilot tool.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the length of waiting lists for a lifesaving organ in Lincolnshire.

The active transplant waiting list in the United Kingdom is above pre-pandemic levels, with people waiting longer for a transplant than they have previously. As of 31 December 2024, there were 6,858 people on the transplant waiting list in England, and 113 people in Lincolnshire, excluding temporarily suspended patients.NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) manage transplant services across the UK. They are working to reduce the number of patients on the waiting list by revising the National Organ Retrieval Service to improve its efficiency, supporting clinical teams to increase the use of extended criteria donors, implementing new technology to improve non-use rates, and encouraging people to register to donate through high profile year-round campaigns including Organ Donation Week, World Sight Day, and World Kidney Day, in partnership with a wide range of charities and community groups.The Department, NHSBT, and NHS England are working together to improve utilisation of all solid organs following recommendations from the Organ Utilisation Group 2023 report. Once fully implemented, the aim is to utilise more donor organs for transplant to save and improve the lives of those on the waiting list.

For what purposes the Health and Safety Executive has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

A team of data analysts within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been undertaking research activities to explore how AI approaches can be used to gain insights from HSE data whilst maintaining strict adherence to data ethics principles. HSE policy is continuously reviewed and updated as innovative technologies arise. These may then be selected for use, following scrutiny within the business to ensure they meet HSE's standards on security, ethics and benefits.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes OFWAT has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Your question refers to the time before the current Government, but Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the new Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how Britain delivers public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.Ofwat has conducted a trial of licenced generative AI, making sure it has considered and mitigated security concerns. Ofwat draws on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform AI usage.Ofwat also has access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for he policies of trends in the levels of reoffending rates in Lincolnshire in the past five years; and what steps her Department is taking to help reduce reoffending rates in that county.

The overall proven reoffending rate for Lincolnshire has decreased from 28.8% in 2018 to 26.3% in 2022 (the latest year for which reoffending data is available – see Table 1). Despite this overall downward trend, the reoffending rate increased from 24.5% in 2021 to 26.3% in 2022. We have seen reoffending rates increase slightly as we move away from Covid-affected periods (during which reoffending rates were impacted by court closures and other Covid-related operational restrictions). Despite this, rates remain lower than historical levels.Table 1: Rate of reoffending for Lincolnshire across the past 5 years Jan 18 -Dec 18Jan 19 - Dec 19Jan 20 - Dec 20Jan 21 -Dec 21Jan 22 -Dec 22Lincolnshire28.8%25.2%25.0%24.5%26.3%This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by giving people the tools they need to turn their backs on crime, including by investing in getting offenders into employment which we know can reduce reoffending by up to 9 percentage points.  We have, for example, recruited specialist employment leads in prisons to support and prepare prisoners for work on release. This role is currently in place at HMP Lincoln and HMP North Sea Camp, two prisons located in Lincolnshire. We have also recently launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time will bring businesses together with probation services and the Department for Work and Pensions to support offenders in the community. The county of Lincolnshire is covered by the East, North & West Midlands Employment Council.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of lack of access to NHS dental services on health outcomes in Lincolnshire.

The dental statistics publication Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available from the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324The data for the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board shows that 37% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2024, compared to 40% in England, and 51% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2024, compared to 56% in England.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) farmers and (b) food producers use sustainable farming methods in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

This Government’s commitment to farmers and food producers remains steadfast. We will always champion British farming to boost rural economic growth, strengthen food security and improve the environment. Defra has allocated £5 billion for the farming budget over two years. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing. This funding will deliver improvements to food security as well as the environment, in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency and more broadly across Lincolnshire and the rest of the country.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of bank branches on rural communities in (a) towns and (b) villages.

The Government understands the impact of bank branch closures on rural communities and the importance of face-to-face banking and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. Over 200 hubs have been announced so far, and over 100 are already open. Furthermore, FCA guidance expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and put in place alternatives where reasonable. As well as banking hubs, alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office.

For what purposes the UK Statistics Authority has used AI in the last 12 months.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 24 January is attached.

For what purposes NHS England has used AI in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents significant opportunities within NHS England to improve delivery of care and outcomes for patients by increasing the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, alongside improving staff productivity, by freeing up staff time from some routine and administrative work.Many of these AI technologies are being tested and evaluated in NHS England to aid clinical decision-making, healthcare diagnostics, and imaging. For example, AI has been used to analyse and interpret acute stroke brain scans to support doctors in making treatment decisions in 100% of stroke units in England. In addition, many new technologies have been deployed in over half of acute trusts in England in high-demand areas, such as chest x-rays and chest computed tomography scans, to enable faster diagnosis of diseases like cancer.AI can support clinicians and National Health Service managers in running clinical operations through note taking during mental health consultations, appointment scheduling, and bed management. For example, automated voice to text tools, which use AI to listen to and transcribe patient notes, could help ease the administrative burden faced by staff and make systems more efficient. Several trusts in NHS England are currently running trials, including a multi-site assessment of the impact of using automated transcription software.The deployment of AI in the NHS is still at a relatively early stage, with many AI tools being used in a research capacity. To address this, the Department is carrying out work, with NHS England, to assess the barriers of safe, ethical, and effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed and used in NHS England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle illegal waste in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) works with a range of professional partners to tackle all waste crime. In Lincolnshire the EA jointly chairs the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership made up of Local Authorities and professional partners like the Fire Service and NFU. The local EA enforcement team is currently investigating a site near Holbeach St Johns in South Holland, Lincolnshire where bales of shredded, wrapped landfill waste have been deposited and stored illegally.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of fraudulent visa applications made in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

There are a wide range of circumstances which can lead to a visa application being classed as fraudulent, including the use of false documentation, or lying about the purpose of a visit, employment status or financial situation.Data on the total number of fraudulent visa applications is not readily available in accessible form and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of this question at a disproportionate cost.

How many people entered the UK through irregular means other than small boats in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of detected irregular arrivals to the UK across four routes of entry in the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’.Data on inadequately documented air arrivals, recorded detections at UK ports and recorded detections in the UK, alongside small boat arrivals and can be found in Irr_01 of the ‘Irregular migration summary tables’. This data covers the period 2018 to September 2024.Data covering the period of October to December 2024 is due to be published on 27th February 2025.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

How many people entered the UK on a visa and overstayed in each of the last three years.

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’.The specific data requested is not routinely published and could only be collated and verified for the purposes of answering this question at a disproportionate cost.

How many court clerks worked at Boston Magistrates' Court in each year since 2014 for which data is available.

Boston operates as a hearing venue only and has done since consultation in 2019. There are 2 members of staff based there, who operate as a back office to support the wider Cluster, taking work primarily from Lincoln County Court. The role of Court Clerk exists in two jurisdictions, Crown Court and County Court. The Crown Court does not sit in Boston. If required, County Court clerks travel over from Lincoln.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to facilitate education on gambling-related harms for young people.

We are committed to protecting children and young people from gambling harm. Since 2020, children have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England. The Gambling Commission also publishes an annual survey on children’s exposure to, and involvement in, all types of gambling to help us monitor gambling-related harm amongst children.We are introducing a statutory levy to be paid by gambling operators raising funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will play an important part in the Government’s wider aim to have a better informed and protected public when it comes to gambling-related harms.

What estimate he had made of the number of additional urgent dental appointments there will be in Lincolnshire in each of the next four years.

The Government is committed to tackling the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care. We are working to ensure that patients can start to access the 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments as soon as possible, targeting the areas that need them most, including Lincolnshire.We will set out further information on this commitment, including how this will be measured, in due course.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of public libraries in rural areas.

Public libraries play a vital role in sustaining community networks in rural areas, offering a range of activities and support services to meet local needs and bring people together.Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. They are responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.There is a network of over 2,500 static libraries in the statutory network across England, supported by a number of mobile and home library services. Public library services are found in all types of communities, urban and rural; and are used by all demographics of people.