Written questions by Hayes.

What steps she is taking to tackle online sites advising people to claim for sickness and disability payments they are not entitled to.

DWP collaborates with government partners, including Action Fraud, City of London Police (CoLP) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to identify malicious sites that impersonate the department, enable fraudulent activity or target DWP customers. DWP investigates sites hosting potentially malicious content to assess for fraudulent activity. Sites assessed as a potential threat to DWP and its customers, are referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (part of the CoLP) who triage and assess for potential takedown within a 28-day period.

How many fixed penalty notices have been handed out for school non-attendance in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) England in each of the last five years.

The department collects information from local authorities on penalty notices issued for unauthorised absence. This is published in the statistical release on parental responsibility measures and can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures. The numbers of penalty notices issued in Lincolnshire and England can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/169aa7d0-a3ce-44bc-0f1d-08dd167ca495. No data was collected for 2019/20 due to the pandemic. Attendance at school was heavily disrupted in 2020/21 and for two months measures were disapplied when schools were not open to all pupils.

If she will take steps to ensure that there is adequate careers (a) advice and (b) guidance in schools on maritime career pathways.

High-quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping young people make informed decisions about their future and involves finding out about and considering the different options available to them, including maritime industries. As new technologies and industries emerge, it is critical that young people understand the breadth of careers and opportunities available and can make informed decisions about their future, including the value of technical and vocational pathways to employment. Good quality careers advice is essential if we are to ensure we meet the higher technical skills needs of our country. Whilst an essential element of careers advice is that it is person-centred and impartial, the department’s partner organisations provide a range of wider careers information and advice across all employment sectors, including maritime industries. The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) supports schools and colleges to embed best practice so that young people are aware of the full range of careers across all sectors of the economy. The department also funds Careers Hubs, which lead partnerships of secondary schools, colleges, employers, combined authorities, local authorities and careers providers to help young people connect closely to local skills and economic needs through a responsive careers education programme. Through this network, schools can engage with employers from a wide range of sectors to raise awareness of different career pathways and to improve careers education. This supports young people to make informed choices, and to develop the skills they need and employers want. Sector bodies and individual employers can register their interest through CEC to support schools and colleges, for example through the Enterprise Adviser Network or as a Cornerstone Employer. Cornerstone Employers are a flagship group of employers from a range of sectors that work with networks of schools and colleges to improve careers education and make sure key skills for their sector are understood by teachers and education leaders. Cowes Enterprise College has created Maritime Futures, an exciting model for integrating maritime into a mainstream curriculum at key stage 3, showcasing successful engagement between schools and employers. In discrete curriculum subjects, including mathematics, science, geography, history, art, the national curriculum content is taught through a maritime lens, using the wealth of learning opportunities the maritime sector presents. Subject leaders work together so that learning in each discipline reinforces and enhances the learning in other subjects. Students apply the robust knowledge acquired to practical projects. For example, students build boats in design technology and apply what they have learnt on the physics of buoyancy, drag and variables. Local maritime employers advise on curriculum content and help deliver some lessons. In addition, the National Careers Service, which is a free, government-funded careers information, advice and guidance service, draws on a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. The service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them, including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles, including a range of maritime roles ranging from merchant navy to boat building describing what those roles entail, qualifications and entry routes.

If he will take steps to prioritise domestic supply chains in defence procurement.

This Government is committed to developing a UK Defence industrial base that ensures a strong Defence sector and resilient supply chains. The Statement of Intent for the Defence Industrial Strategy, published on Monday 2 December, set out a commitment to prioritising UK businesses for investment and boosting sovereign capacity. It will enact a deep reform of Ministry of Defence procurement to reduce waste, improve delivery and support growth, whilst ensuring we remain compliant with our obligations under our international trade agreements.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to tackle gambling advertisements (a) online and (b) on television which are targeted at young people.

There are a range of robust rules and restrictions which apply to gambling adverts, wherever they appear, to ensure they are socially responsible.As part of the UK Advertising Codes, issued by the Committees for Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committees of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations of the Advertising Standards Authority, adverts must not be placed in children’s media and advertisers must take all reasonable steps to ensure that under-18s are excluded from their targeted marketing. In addition, content with ‘strong appeal’ to children such as top flight footballers or celebrities popular with children is prohibited from appearing in gambling adverts. As the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, the Gambling Commission requires all licensed operators to abide by the Advertising Codes.As the Minister for Gambling set out in her speech at the GambleAware conference on 4 December, we want to see the gambling industry further raise standards to ensure that levels of gambling advertising does not exacerbate harm. This work will be monitored closely.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of working from home on civil service productivity.

We have reviewed the wide range of studies available on the benefits of hybrid working, which has been used to inform the expectation for 60% office attendance for Civil Servants. This expectation has not changed since the previous administration.

What the cost to the public purse was of the UK delegation's participation in COP29 in Baku.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Rupert Lowe) on 26 November to question UIN 14729.

What the total cost to the public purse of curtailment of onshore wind turbines in England was in the last three years.

The Department does not hold this information. A summary of constraint costs is publicly available at https://www.neso.energy/data-portal/constraint-breakdown, and network constraint costs for 2023 were £1.4bn. The National Energy System Operator is responsible for managing constraints, which are a natural part of operating an efficient electricity system. These costs are not funded by the public purse, but instead by suppliers via Balancing Services Use of System charges. As part of Clean Power 2030, the Government is working to develop the necessary grid infrastructure and manage the level of constraints to create a cheaper and secure energy system for Britain.

Pursuant to the Answer on 26 November to Question 14583 on Veterans: Radiation Exposure, if he will set a deadline for the publication of his Department's internal review into the whereabouts of nuclear test veterans' medical records.

The Government is deeply grateful to all Service personnel who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise the huge contribution they have made to our national security and take this issue very seriously.I have asked officials to look seriously into unresolved questions regarding medical records as a priority, and this is now underway. This work will be comprehensive, and it will enable us to better understand what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests, ensuring that we can be assured that relevant information has been looked at thoroughly.I am also firmly committed to regular engagement with organisations representing nuclear test veterans to understand their concerns, and officials in the Department are also engaging regularly.

Whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the accelerated energy grid decarbonisation target on the UK's reliance on imports from China.

The Government works closely with industry to maintain a detailed picture of foreign involvement in critical national infrastructure. Foreign involvement in critical national infrastructure undergoes the highest levels of scrutiny, with the government and industry working alongside each other to monitor and mitigate the security risks in the energy sector and its supply chain. A positive trading relationship benefits both the UK and China, and we continue to recognise the importance of trade and investment from China, with whom we will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the police allocation formula on (a) policing and (b) crime in Lincolnshire.

On 19th November, the Home Secretary announced that government funding for policing will increase by over half a billion pounds next year; this includes an increase of over £260m in the core grant for police forces, additional funding for neighbourhood policing, the NCA and counter terrorism.Force level funding allocations for the financial year 2025-26 will be confirmed at the police funding settlement. Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase two of the Spending Review where we will want to consider police funding in the round.

What estimate he has made of the anticipated total cost of compensation for legal claims brought by Nuclear Test Veterans.

The claims from Nuclear Test Veterans are at the pre-action stage. It is for the Claimants’ legal representatives to formulate their case against the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in court should they wish to proceed. The MOD is not able to estimate the value of compensation claimed without an indication of the level of damages sought by the prospective Claimants.

What steps he is taking to support veterans in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire with (i) housing and (ii) education and skills training.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, no matter which community they are based in. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those throughout South Holland and the Deepings and Lincolnshire get access to housing, employment and other support they need. Op FORTITUDE is a single referral pathway available across the United Kingdom that provides housing guidance and assistance to veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. As of 30 November 2024, over 2,850 referrals have been made and 822 veterans have been supported into housing. The Prime Minister announced the continuation of funding for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme and Op FORTITUDE, ensuring that support will be there for veterans at risk of homelessness. This is in addition to his commitment earlier in the year that veterans will be exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England. There is also a range of skills and education support available to veterans, including via the Career Transition Partnership, which supports those in search of new job and education opportunities. Additional support is available to veterans and their families via a sector-based employment pathway, which offers employment and career progression support, including access to qualifications and training, at any stage in their lives after leaving service. Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network, providing tailored advice and employability support to members of the armed forces community.

What steps he is taking to reduce the (a) risk of and (b) impact from fires in agricultural vehicles.

The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 set out the essential requirements that must be met before a machinery product is placed on the UK market, in order to protect users of that machinery from any undue harm. This includes agricultural vehicles in scope. As part of those existing requirements, machinery must be designed and constructed in such a way as to avoid any risk of fire or overheating posed by the machinery itself or by gases, liquids, dust, vapours or other substances produced or used by the machinery.

How many pupils in primary schools in England were suspended in each of the last three academic years.

The department publishes figures from the school census on suspensions and permanent exclusions from state-funded schools in England. The most recent release is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england.The number of pupil enrolments in primary schools with one or more suspensions for the 2020/21 to 2022/23 academic years, which is the latest data available, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/40b7a1f8-c523-4d20-d522-08dd12dee30d.For 2020/21, while suspensions and permanent exclusions were possible throughout the academic year, pandemic restrictions will have had an impact on the numbers presented, so caution should be taken when comparing across years.

How many age assessments of people arriving on small boats and seeking asylum have taken place in each of the last three years.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on age disputes for all individuals with asylum claims raised and resolved is published in table Asy_D05 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to help ensure that district councils receive business rates from (a) all energy infrastructure and (b) sub stations located within their boundaries.

District councils collect and retain a share of Business Rates in their local area where properties are in the local list. Where a property is found to cross local authority boundaries, the Valuation Office Agency follow legislation which stipulates that the VOA assess which local authority is considered to contain the greatest amount of rateable value and allocate the business rates for the whole property to this authority.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many fixed penalty notices have been handed out for spitting in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Defra does not hold data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering or spitting.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many fixed penalty notices have been handed out for littering in (a) Lincolnshire and (a) England in each of the last five years.

Defra does not hold data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering or spitting.

How many justices of the peace served at Boston Magistrates court in each of the last five years.

HMCTS deploys Magistrates (Justices of the Peace) who are allocated to a bench and are then placed on a rota to sit as a panel. Boston Magistrates would be served by the Lincolnshire Bench and the numbers on that bench are below for the period stated:YearNo. of Magistrates1/4/24 – 3/12/241701/4/23- 31/3/241821/4/22- 31/3/231611/4/21 – 31/3/221581/4/20 – 31/3/211591/4/19 – 31/3/20174