Written questions by Hayes.

Whether Ministers in his Department have met representatives of Arden Strategies since 5 July 2024.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has provided funding to the Runnymede Trust in the last ten years.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has checked all available records which show no funding has been provided to the Runnymede Trust in the last ten years.

If she will publish the offences committed by prisoners released under the early release scheme.

SDS40 applies to standard determinate sentences, but certain offences have been excluded from the SDS change. the following offences are excluded: Sex offences irrespective of sentence length; serious violent offences with a sentence of four years or more; specified offences linked to domestic abuse irrespective of sentence length (including stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour and non-fatal strangulation); as well as offences concerning national security. The change will also not apply to sentences subject to release at the discretion of the Parole Board or to offences which currently attract the automatic release from an SDS at the two-thirds point (certain serious sexual and violent offences).

If he will make an estimate of the number of unpaid carers in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The 2021 Census found that there are approximately 4.7 million people of all ages in England who said they provided unpaid care. In the South Holland and the Deepings constituency, the census showed that there were approximately 9,700 people of all ages who said they provided unpaid care.

How many people have escaped from Category D prisons in the last 10 years.

An escape that does not involve overcoming a physical security restraint or barrier (such as that provided by a wall or fence, locks, bolts or bars, a secure vehicle, handcuffs or the direct supervision of staff) is classified as an abscond. By definition, absconds are only possible from prisons with open conditions (Category D). Data on absconds are published annually in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The requested information can be found via the following link: Absconds Data. Public protection is our top priority. When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody. Those who abscond face serious consequences, including being returned to closed prison conditions, where they may serve up to two additional years on conviction.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase funding for arts and culture in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

After 14 years of indifference and cultural vandalism, this government is committed to making sure that arts and cultural activities will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few. We are working with Arts Council England and others to understand what the challenges and opportunities are for our sectors. As part of the Government’s “Creating Growth” plan, DCMS is also undertaking a review documenting current and past funding for the arts, culture, and heritage sectors.Arts Council England’s open funding programme, National Lottery Project Grants, is accessible to organisations and individuals across the country, including those in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency, and across Lincolnshire. This programme provides over £100 million of support annually, and is open to new and emerging artists.

How many confiscations of Class A drugs took place in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.

Data on the number of incidents where Class A drugs were found in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years are provided in the attached table.The availability of drugs in prison is yet another sign of the prisons crisis the new Government inherited. We are bringing the crisis under control and ensuring that a range of physical security countermeasures are used to reduce the conveyance of illicit items into prisons, including X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and drug trace detection equipment.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to block applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects which include solar photovoltaic panels on grade 1, 2 and 3a farmland.

The government’s ambition is to triple solar capacity by 2030. However, planning policy is clear that where development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be prioritised and there is no intention to reduce this protection.For planning decisions made through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, there is a rigorous process designed to scrutinise larger projects and developers must work closely with local authorities and communities before approval is granted.In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we proposed raising the thresholds for NSIP solar developments. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

What the projected cost to the public purse is of removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords.

The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill is not about financial savings but is concerned with removing the outdated and indefensible right of the remaining hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords.

How many confiscations of mobile phones took place in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.

The number of incidents where mobile phones were found in prisons in England and Wales, over the past three years: 2021-222022-232023-24England7,7787,59610,351Wales210241318Total7,9887,83710,669 We publish the number of incidents where mobile phones were found in prison in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The latest issue covers the 12 month period to March 2024.It is important to consider, with incidents of mobile phone finds in prisons, that an increase in numbers may be as a result of more effective searching, rather than more items being present in prisons. Data Sources and Quality The figures in the table have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.The figures in the table count the number of incidents where a mobile phone was found, rather than the number of mobile phones found. One incident can include multiple phones found.Secure training centres Rainsbrook and Oakhill report separately as they are contracted establishments and therefore are not included in this dataset.The figures are on a financial year basis, so the figures for 2023-24 are from 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

How many and what proportion of new driving licences were issued to foreign nationals in each of the last three years.

The information requested is not available, as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not record the nationality of driving licence holders.

What steps his Department is taking to improve breast cancer screening in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

Nationally, NHS England has developed a national plan in collaboration with key stakeholders, such as cancer alliances, to improve uptake within the breast screening programme. The plan sets out the priorities, interventions, and the required monitoring of the impacts and outcomes to be achieved, to improve uptake through expanding access, data, and analytics, reducing inequalities, contracting, communication, and IT developments.Locally, the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board was awarded national funding in 2023 to establish an additional mobile screening unit. Additionally, local services are doing focused inequalities work with three practises identified as having lower uptake.

How many driving test centres there are in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has 22 driving test centres (DTC) located in the East Midlands. This total includes seven DTCs located inLincolnshire.

If he will take steps to appoint an independent expert to conduct a cumulative impact assessment of all energy infrastructure proposed for Lincolnshire.

On 22 October 2024, together with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, we commissioned NESO to produce the first ever Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), to support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across Great Britain. The SSEP will be subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulation Assessment and take into account views of both rural and urban communities to ensure the impacts of energy infrastructure on local areas are properly considered.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of families living in temporary accommodation in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected.The Government is taking action by setting up a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) which the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) will chair, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy to put us back on track to ending homelessness.More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including:Delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament.Abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.The £450 million third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund will support local authorities to obtain better quality temporary accommodation for homeless families and will also provide safe and suitable housing for those on the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS) who are fleeing persecution. Of this, South Holland will receive £817,861 and local authorities within Lincolnshire will receive £3,520,298.

If she will ask the Migration Advisory Committee to add consideration of population growth to their ongoing work.

The Migration Advisory Committee are an independent body who advise the Government primarily on the labour market, however they can consider issues linked to population such as housing and public services when providing recommendations.

Whether she has held recent discussions with (a) the Russell Group, (b) the University Alliance, (c) MillionPlus and (d) the 1994 Group on the bringing into force of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

Department officials and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills are continuing to engage with a wide range of stakeholders on the future of the Act. These stakeholders include academics and others with concerns about constraints on freedom of speech and academic freedom, representatives of the higher education sector, including those from the Russell Group, the University Alliance and MillionPlus (aside from the 1994 Group, which the department understands dissolved in 2013), minority groups and unions.

When she plans to publish the findings of the consultation entitled Controls on the use of crossbows on public safety grounds, published on 14 February 2024.

A call for evidence on strengthening controls on crossbows on public safety grounds ran from 14 February to 9 April 2024. It tested ideas for whether there should be some form of licensing regime that would provide further controls on the use, ownership and supply of crossbows.The responses have been reviewed and we are considering whether further controls on crossbows need to be introduced. We will publish the Government’s response to the call for evidence, alongside a summary of the responses received, in due course.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of levels of funding for grassroots rugby infrastructure.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.This includes long term investment to The Rugby Football Union, the National Governing Body for rugby in England, which receives up to £13.8 million for five years to invest in community rugby initiatives that will benefit everyone.Furthermore, as part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Impact Facility Fund between 2023 and 2027 the RFU will receive £7 million investment to enhance the grassroots rugby experience for women.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent migrants who are not entitled to use NHS services from using (a) hospitals, (b) GP services and (c) other NHS services.

Anyone can access and use the National Health Service, however some individuals who are not ordinarily resident or not covered by an exemption under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, will be chargeable for some NHS services, as the NHS is a residency-based system. Services, such as those provided by a general practice, or services provided for the diagnosis of infectious diseases, are exempt from charge for all. Where treatment is urgent, as determined by a clinician, that treatment will never be delayed, and if charges apply, they must be pursued by the NHS trust after treatment.