Written questions by Hayes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect seabird populations from offshore wind turbines.

The Government’s Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package’s aim is to support the acceleration of offshore wind consenting, while continuing to protect the marine environment. The package is setting out new approaches to delivering mitigation and compensation for the environmental impacts of offshore wind developments at a strategic level. As part of this, Defra is piloting innovative approaches to mitigation. This includes a turbine blade painting pilot looking at reducing the avian collision risk from offshore wind. Defra is also working collaboratively with Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, environmental Non-Governmental Organisations, the offshore wind industry across the UK, and Devolved Governments to develop a range of strategic compensation measures for the habitats and species most likely to be affected by offshore wind impacts, including seabirds.

What steps she is taking with relevant authorities to help tackle dangerous driving in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Since the general election, the Department has begun work on a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. The Department will share more details in due course. The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign, aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads. THINK! launched a major new drink driving campaign in November, highlighting the risks of drinking even a little before driving. The campaign targeted men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over, and who are over-represented in drink drive casualties. Paid advertising ran across social media, online video and gaming sites, radio and podcasts. The campaign also featured roadside advertising near to pubs and bars and posters and beermats in venues across England and Wales. THINK! also joined forces with industry to launch THINK! 0%, encouraging drivers to always opt for alcohol-free options when getting behind the wheel via timely reminders at the point of purchase, and worked with police forces to support national drink and drug driving enforcement activity in the lead up to Christmas. The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed in South Holland and The Deepings constituency, and other rural areas, is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

What steps she is taking to help tackle drink driving in rural areas.

The Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. Since the general election, the Department has begun work on a new Road Safety Strategy, the first in over a decade. The Department will share more details in due course. The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign, aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads. THINK! launched a major new drink driving campaign in November, highlighting the risks of drinking even a little before driving. The campaign targeted men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over, and who are over-represented in drink drive casualties. Paid advertising ran across social media, online video and gaming sites, radio and podcasts. The campaign also featured roadside advertising near to pubs and bars and posters and beermats in venues across England and Wales. THINK! also joined forces with industry to launch THINK! 0%, encouraging drivers to always opt for alcohol-free options when getting behind the wheel via timely reminders at the point of purchase, and worked with police forces to support national drink and drug driving enforcement activity in the lead up to Christmas. The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed in South Holland and The Deepings constituency, and other rural areas, is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

How many properties are not connected to the national (a) gas and (b) electricity grid in South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

The Department publishes estimates of the number of domestic properties not connected to the gas network in Great Britain by constituency. In 2023, an estimated 12,000 domestic properties (23%) in South Holland and The Deepings constituency were not connected to the gas network. Equivalent figures for the electricity network are not published.

Whether he plans to take steps to allow up-to-date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff in Lincolnshire.

At a national level, in partnership with NHS England, the Department is building the foundations for improved information sharing between care and health staff. Digital social care records, that contain a person’s care information, are now in use by more than 72% of Care Quality Commission-registered care providers, from a starting point of 41% in December 2021. In the recent announcement on short term reforms in adult social care, we set our ambition that all care providers will be fully digitised by the end of this Parliament.Within the coming months, all assured digital social care records will also enable medical information to be shared with social care providers through GP Connect, which provides a restricted view of a person’s general practice (GP) record to social care staff for direct care purposes, where there is consent for the data to be shared. Currently about 2,000 care providers use GP Connect to access medical information through digital social care records and next year we will be supporting wider adoption of this functionality. Access to this information improves the quality and safety of care and saves time, currently spent on the phone waiting to speak to GP surgeries.In Lincolnshire, the Lincolnshire Care Record enables medical information sharing for direct care purposes across health and social care. This initiative has been live for several years. There is not currently a consistent way for information held by social care providers to be shared, and from April 2025, we will begin work to establish a national shared platform that enables this essential information sharing and ensures health and care staff can access real-time social care, GP, and hospital data, providing access to essential medical information in a timely way. This could include when someone last took their medication, or whether there’s been a change to their care regimen. By linking up systems, National Health Service and care staff will have access to the latest information, speeding up and improving care both in health and in care settings.

Media and Sport, how much was paid in bonuses to staff in her Department in 2023-24.

Departments are required to publish data related to non-consolidated performance payments on an annual basis. The publication date for the 2023/24 data is yet to be confirmed, but will happen over the coming months.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve access to employment opportunities for disabled people in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care. As well as these initiatives, in Spalding, we support learning disabled and neurodiverse customers alongside partner organisations that we work closely with and have led and co-created the learning pathway for all sites in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland to have Neuro Diversity champions. We liaise with Local Supported Employment (Showcase), a DWP funded programme led by Lincolnshire County Council. The Jobcentre also works closely with an employment agency working specifically with those who are Autistic and looking for work, mainly within project-based roles that can be done from home. There is also excellent links with over 20 Disability Confident Employers, and other partners including: Adult ADHD Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire Autistic Society.

How much grade (a) one and (b) two farm land has been replaced by ground mounted solar in England in the last five years.

Data on the land occupied by solar projects is contained in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). The Government does not currently categorise the data based on land type. However, work is underway to expand the REPD to include this feature.

What steps she is taking to increase recruitment of firefighters in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

While the Government is committed to ensuring fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work, is it individual fire and rescue authorities that are responsible for recruitment and decisions around deployment of resources.Overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion in 2024/25. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £53.3m in 2025/26; this is an increase of 3 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

If he will make it her policy to introduce Government-backed loans for (a) domestic, (b) community and (c) commercial rooftop solar panels.

As part of the Warm Homes Plan, the Government is considering the role that finance may play in supporting homeowners with the upfront costs of energy efficiency improvements, solar panels, and installing low carbon heating. Permitted development rights afford flexibilities and planning freedoms to new solar installations, whether residential, community or commercial. The Government also provides fiscal incentives to encourage businesses to install rooftop solar, through tax relief and business rate exemptions.

Whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to incentivise the owners of large (a) warehouse rooftops and (b) car parks to install solar panels.

The deployment of solar panels on commercial rooftops is central to our Clean Energy mission. Permitted development rights allow most rooftop projects to be installed without requiring an application for planning permission. This includes non-domestic rooftop projects of any size, and solar canopies in off-street, non-domestic car parks. New building standards will be introduced to ensure that all newly built commercial buildings are fit for a net zero future. We expect these standards to encourage the installation of solar panels on commercial roofs. Further measures to incentivise installations on commercial rooftops remain under active consideration, including a call for evidence about increasing solar generation in car parks.

For what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have 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. I am keen to adopt AI across the Department and my officials are in the process of exploring options. For example, the Wales Office Human Resources and Private Office teams are looking at how ‘Microsoft Copilot’ could be used to streamline processes.

For what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have 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. A small number of officials in the department have had access to the Cabinet Office Redbox copilot project to extract, summarise and synthesise information. The communications team also use the internal GCS Assist tool to support elements of communications planning.

What steps he is taking to fund provisions for addiction support services in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department provides funding to support drug and alcohol services. In 2024/25 a total of £3,620,918 was allocated to Lincolnshire. This included £2,090,974 for the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery grant, £576,326 for the Housing Support Grant, £624,808 for the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant, £121,398 for the Inpatient Detoxification Grant, and £207,412 for the Individual Placement and Support Grant, for employment support. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced shortly.Drug and alcohol use is challenging in any community, including in rural areas, where ensuring easy access to treatment and support can be more of a challenge. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services, by assessing the local need for treatment and commissioning a range of services and interventions to meet that need.The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England in 2024/25, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. The Government will also provide a further £70 million of funding for Stop Smoking Services in 2025/26. Allocations of additional funding for Stop Smoking Services are based on the number and proportion of smokers in each local authority. Lincolnshire will be allocated £1,140,181 for 2025/26.In April, the Government will introduce a new statutory levy on gambling operators, providing up to £100 million each year to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms across Great Britain.

How many ECO4 schemes have been funded in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire since 2022.

Since 2022 to the end of September 2024 (the latest available data by local authority and parliamentary constituency), ECO4 has installed 885 measures in 243 households in South Holland and the Deepings constituency, and 11,228 measures in 3,345 households in Lincolnshire (includes Lincolnshire County Council, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire local authorities).

How many instances of mobile phone theft have been reported in Lincolnshire since 2020.

The Home Office collects information on the number of theft offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. It is not currently possible to identify from these data which crimes involved the theft of a mobile phone. The Office for National Statistics publish estimates of mobile phone theft for England and Wales, but these figures are not available for smaller geographic areas. The latest Office for National Statistics estimates can be found at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtablesWe will shortly be holding a Home Office Mobile Phone Theft Summit, drawing together representatives from the mobile phone industry, including tech companies, and law enforcement to see what more can collectively be done to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.As part of our Safer Streets Mission, this government is determined to crack down on theft and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities, including strengthening neighbourhood policing, tackling anti-social behaviour and restoring public confidence.

What steps his Department is taking to improve provision of post-natal mental health care in Lincolnshire.

Significant progress across England has been made in recent years to ensure that women experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental health problems can access specialist perinatal mental health services for up to two years after giving birth. This includes Mother and Baby Units, such as the one in Lincolnshire, maternal mental health services, and specialist perinatal mental health community teams.Lincolnshire is one of 75 local authorities that is receiving funding to provide bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.However, more is needed. Access to these services varies across the country and too many people with mental health issues, including mothers in the 24 months postpartum, are not getting the support or care they need. NHS England is working to ensure that services are accessible to all women who need them.

What steps he is taking to reduce fuel poverty in rural areas.

The Government has committed £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, this includes £1.8bn to support fuel poverty schemes. Rural homes are supported through energy efficiency schemes including the Energy Company Obligation and Home Upgrade Grant. The Warm Home Discount scheme provides eligible low-income and vulnerable households across Great Britain, including rural areas, with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill. We will consult shortly on proposals for privately rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. We are also reviewing the 2021 fuel poverty strategy for England.

For what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have 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.Northern Ireland Office Ministers do not use AI. A small number of officials in the department have carried out a time-limited test of the use of AI for taking meeting notes and summarising information. AI is not available to Northern Ireland Office officials at present and is the subject of ongoing discussions.

What steps she is taking to work with local authorities to support kinship carers in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

The government recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children. Kinship carers often take on this role at a time when they were least expecting to raise a family and we recognise the challenges they face, including financial.Through the Autumn Budget 2024, the department announced £40 million to trial a new kinship allowance in some local authorities in England. We will test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of caring for a child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. ​​We will share further details and the process for selecting local authorities in due course.​This is the single biggest investment made by government in kinship care to date. This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home by allowing children to grow up within their families and communities, reducing disruption to their early years, so they can focus on schooling and building friendships.The department understands the unique challenges kinship carers face and is committed to providing the necessary support.