Written questions by Anderson.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

(a) As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio- economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers. People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career.The Northern Ireland Office has not run a GFiE accredited scheme in the last year. (b) The Northern Ireland Office has not recruited for any internship schemes in the last year.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

HMT has not run any recruitment or internship schemes specifically aimed at increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups. HMT has participated in some cross-government internship schemes such as the Cabinet Office run Summer Intern Placement (SIP), Autism Exchange Internship Placement and the Department of Work and Pensions’ Movement to Work Scheme.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, published under the previous government, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, DESNZ are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recruitment must follow the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 legislation, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Whilst recruitment into DESNZ does not focus solely on underrepresented groups we want to ensure all groups feel supported during the recruitment process and see DESNZ as an employer of choice. As part of our recruitment process, we: Run the Disability Confident Scheme and are a Disability Confident LeaderAnonymise applications (including removing the name of educational institutions)Run attraction events targeted at underrepresented groups (ethnic minorities, women and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds) DESNZ has run or supported the following programmes aimed at supporting underrepresented groups in the workforce in the past year: Autism Exchange Internship Programme - supporting young autistic people to gain meaningful work experience in the Civil Service.Care Leavers Programme - a programme run by Department for Education and a GFiE accredited programme, is an internship designed to improve outcomes for young people who have spent time in care.Change 100 Summer Internship Programme - a collaboration with the charity Leonard Cheshire to provide an internship for disabled students and graduates.upReach Summer Internship Programme - a collaboration with the charity upReach to offer an internship for university students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.Release on temporary licence programme (ROTL) - a programme that supports individuals who are eligible to be released from prison on temporary licence to work.Summer Internship Programme - the new revised programme for 2026 will support individuals in their final 2 years from a lower socio-economic backgrounds into placements in the Department, which aims to build a diverse pipeline into Fast Stream.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. The Ministry of Defence is committed to reviewing and improving its recruitment model to ensure we are attracting a skilled and diverse workforce. This includes supporting central Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) pathways, which focus on recruitment from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, Veterans, carers and care leavers. and. We are also committed to supporting schemes such as a Great Place to Work for Veterans and the cross-Government Summer Internship Programme.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has not run recruitment or internship schemes with the sole focus of increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year. However, we have offered a range of recruitment and internship schemes designed to attract and develop talent.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.The Cabinet Office participates in the Great Place to Work for Veterans scheme which offers a guaranteed interview if a veteran meets the minimum criteria for the role. The department also welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction for specific offences. In the last year, the Cabinet Office has participated in internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce. These were: Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme (Cabinet Office runs on behalf of the whole Civil Service)Care Leavers Programme (Run by Department for Education)Career ready workplace scheme (Run by Cabinet Office Glasgow colleagues)Cabinet Office/Barnardos internship partnership (Run by Cabinet Office Glasgow colleagues)

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

All staff that join the Scotland Office, do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers. As such, the Scotland Office actively participates with the employers in any recruitment and internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce.In the past year, the Scotland Office has participated in the Civil Service Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme.

Media and Sport, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio- economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers. People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.In the last year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport participated in the Care Leavers Internship Pathway.In relation to internships in the last year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport participated in the Civil Service Summer Internship Programme and the Autism Exchange Internship Programme.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

All Civil Service departments work within the Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.The Home Office have run Internship schemes aimed at increasing representation of underrepresented groups within the Home Office workforce in the last year:Summer Internship Programme (SIP): placements for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.Autism Exchange Internship Programme (AEIP): internships for neurodivergent candidates.Care Leaver Internship Scheme: paid internships for care leavers.The Home Office also support Government Employment Programs that utilse an exception within the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. This allows departments to appoint individuals temporarily for up to two years, providing fixed-term Civil Service roles for those whose circumstances and previous life chances make it difficult to compete for appointments on merit, and on the basis of fair and open competition, without further work experience and/or training opportunities. The programs the Home Office have employed over the last 12 months are:Pathway to Employment Social Mobility Programme: fixed term appointment of individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds.Pathway for Autistic People: fixed term appointment of individuals with autism.Civil Service Master Class: fixed term appointment of individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds.Stepping into Communications: an internship pathway for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Innovation and Technology, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

In the past year, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has actively supported and hosted two internship schemes.DSIT welcomed 35 interns through the Summer Internship Programme (SIP) and 17 candidates via the Autism Exchange Internship Programme (AEIP). These schemes are specifically designed to provide work experience to individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those who are neurodivergent, from ethnic minority communities or from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.Several of our interns were also offered extended placements following their initial internships, reflecting our department’s commitment to providing long term development opportunities. Additionally, all our SIP interns were paired with DSIT Fast Streamers who mentored them throughout their placements, supporting their growth and guiding them through the Fast Pass process into the Civil Service Fast Stream.The AEIP, delivered in partnership with Ambitious about Autism, has always been a cornerstone of DSIT’s inclusive internship offer. The 2025 cohort were provided with tailored onboarding and workplace adjustments support, including communication guidance for line managers to ensure a positive and accessible experience.These programmes reflect DSIT’s ongoing efforts to foster a more inclusive workforce and to create pathways into government careers for individuals who may face systemic barriers to employment. The department remains committed to exploring and implementing alternative entry routes that continue to prioritise diversity and inclusion.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

The Civil Service People Plan 2024–2027 commits to attracting and retaining diverse talent. Recruitment follows the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, ensuring fair and open competition based on merit.Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) supports inclusive recruitment pathways, welcoming individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds, and other categories. GFiE helps participants gain skills, experience, and career opportunities.From October 2024 to October 2025, the Department supported the Autism Exchange Internship Programme, offering eight placements.The Department guarantees interviews for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. DWP offers several schemes to support disadvantaged groups to gain valuable work experience and employment opportunities. Most schemes offer fixed-term employment under Exception 2 of the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. Some also allow for conversion to permanency after 12 months under Exception 10 of the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

The Civil Service is committed to a truly diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity, not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve. As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers. People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy. The department ran the annual GFiE accredited Care Leaver Internship Scheme in August 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers. People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy. Defra took part in the Autism Exchange Internship Programme in 2025 and previous years. This Cabinet Office led scheme supports young, autistic people aged 18 - 25 to gain work experience and develop employability skills. Defra also participates in the Fast Stream Summer Internship Scheme, which from 2026 will be targeted at those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 73665 on Pupils: English Language, what proportion of children starting primary school cannot speak English to an acceptable standard.

​​The department does not hold specific data on the proportion of children starting primary school who are unable to speak English to an acceptable standard.​Information on teacher assessments of children’s development at the end of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), specifically the end of the academic year in which a child turns five, is published as part of the annual statistical release, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results/2023-24.The latest data on the percentage of children at expected level for communication and language, including speaking, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d481e08f-ef55-4809-f8d6-08de0724494a.

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

The Department has not run any recruitment with the sole aim of increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.The Department has not run any internship schemes but has participated in the following internship schemes, to deliver greater diversity in the Civil Service and make it more representative of the people it serves, in the past 12 months:the Care Leavers Internship Programme, ran by the Department for Education, which offers cave-experienced people between the ages of 18 and 30 years old a placement in Government departments, supporting the Government’s commitment to social mobility;the Summer Internship Programme, ran by the Cabinet Office, which offers candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds a temporary placement in Government departments to provide an opportunity to experience what it feels like to work in the Civil Service; andthe Autism Exchange Internship Programme, ran by the Cabinet Office, which offers summer internships to autistic young people and aims to provide valuable work experience and skills to participants, while also helping Government departments better understand and support autistic employees.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of food labelling regulations in supporting consumers to make informed choices.

All food and drink sold on the UK market, including that which is imported, must comply with food labelling rules. The rules require what information must be provided to consumers and how this must be done. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must be labelled effectively.The government continues to review the effectiveness of existing legislation through post implementation reviews. Food regulations contain a statutory review clause which requires the Secretary of State to publish a report every five years.

If she will make an assessment of the impact of the current tobacco excise duty regime on the levels of illegal tobacco consumption.

Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000. Our latest strategy, “Stubbing out the problem”, was published in January 2024. The Department continues to investigate how the illicit tobacco market is evolving, including through its compliance activity, and the extent to which that may affect overall tax receipts seen. The illicit tobacco market is dominated by organised crime groups that make money by smuggling and selling illicit tobacco products in the UK. Our latest estimate is that illicit tobacco costs the UK £1.8bn in lost revenue per year. HMRC recently published an updated version of their Measuring Tax Gaps publication which now includes tax gap estimates up to 2023/24. The illicit market volume for cigarettes is shown in Table 3.13 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.12. The illicit market for hand rolling tobacco is shown in Table 3.17 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.16. Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24. Tobacco duty raised almost £8 billion in 2024/25. High duty rates, making tobacco less affordable, have helped reduce smoking prevalence. ‘Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025’ published by Cancer Research cites an Office for National Statistics Adult Smoking Habits publication which shows that the percentage of adult smokers in the UK decreased from 20.2% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2023. The ONS smoking prevalence data shows the percentage of adults in the UK who smoke cigarettes but does not give any indication of how much or how often these adults smoke.

With reference to the report by the Cancer Research UK and University College London entitled Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025, published in July 2025, and her Department's Tobacco statistics commentary, updated on 29 August 2025, what assessment she has made of the reason for the difference between the number of cigarettes (a) smoked and (b) cleared for sale in 2024.

Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000. Our latest strategy, “Stubbing out the problem”, was published in January 2024. The Department continues to investigate how the illicit tobacco market is evolving, including through its compliance activity, and the extent to which that may affect overall tax receipts seen. The illicit tobacco market is dominated by organised crime groups that make money by smuggling and selling illicit tobacco products in the UK. Our latest estimate is that illicit tobacco costs the UK £1.8bn in lost revenue per year. HMRC recently published an updated version of their Measuring Tax Gaps publication which now includes tax gap estimates up to 2023/24. The illicit market volume for cigarettes is shown in Table 3.13 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.12. The illicit market for hand rolling tobacco is shown in Table 3.17 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.16. Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24. Tobacco duty raised almost £8 billion in 2024/25. High duty rates, making tobacco less affordable, have helped reduce smoking prevalence. ‘Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025’ published by Cancer Research cites an Office for National Statistics Adult Smoking Habits publication which shows that the percentage of adult smokers in the UK decreased from 20.2% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2023. The ONS smoking prevalence data shows the percentage of adults in the UK who smoke cigarettes but does not give any indication of how much or how often these adults smoke.