Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26918 on Prisons: Construction, how many existing cells had additional beds installed to increase capacity between (a) May 1997 and May 2010 and (b) May 2010 and July 2024; how many prison places were removed in prisons that closed in the same period; and where those closed prisons were.

Data on the number of cells which had additional beds installed is not held by the Ministry of Justice for the period requested. Prison crowding data is published annually in Annex 2 of the HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV.UK. This publication provides the percentage of prisoners held in crowded accommodation in each year in each prison since 1999. There is no earlier information on crowding available. Available records indicate that, between May 1997 and May 2010, the total operational capacity of the prison system increased from 61,927 to 89,757, a net increase of 27,830 places. This is a net figure that takes into account all decreases including prison closures, and all increases including new accommodation or crowding of existing accommodation. Data on the number of places removed from prison closures during this period is not held by the Ministry of Justice.The net change in prison operational capacity between May 2010 and April 2024 was c500 places. The requested information on prison closures between May 2010 and July 2024 has been provided in a table below:PrisonNumber of Prison Places ClosedYearAshwell-2142011Lancaster Castle-2432011Brockhill (Part of Hewell)-1702011Latchmere House-2072011Wellingborough-5882012Camp Hill (Part of Isle of Wight)-5952013Gloucester-3212013Canterbury-3142013Shrewsbury-3412013Bullwood Hall-2282013Kingston-2052013Shepton Mallet-1892013Northallerton-2522013Reading-3202013Dorchester-2912013Blundeston-5262013Blantyre House-1222015Haslar-1972015Dover-4012015Holloway-5912016Kennet-3422016Glen Parva-6382017Hewell Grange (Part of Hewell)-2242020Total-7519 Our recently announced 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy outlines a target of 14,000 new prison places by 2031, supported by £2.3 billion in funding for prison builds over the next two years.

Media and Sport, how many large technology firms she has met since her appointment; and how many times she has met (a) small companies and (b) groups representing small challenger technology firms.

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

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26918 on Prisons: Construction, what estimate he has made of the total operating capacity of prisons following the end of (a) the £2.3 billion for prison builds over the next two years, (b) 2031 and (c) 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy.

On 11 December 2024, the Secretary of State published the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, alongside the Annual Statement regarding prison capacity. In the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, this Government has signalled plans to invest up to £2.3 billion in prison expansion in 2024-25 and 2025-26, including HMP Millsike that will deliver c.1,500 places. Delivering c.6,500 new prison places, is only one part of our wider aim to build 14,000 prison places by 2031, with all places expected to be operational by 2032. We will also be expanding the current prison estate, adding around 6,400 prison places through houseblocks at existing sites, whilst also refurbishing residential units, facilities and ancillaries across the estate, alongside around 1,000 more Rapid Deployment Cells. Our strategy also sets out the need to change the way that we expand the prison estate by aiming to buy new land for prison development and introduce planning legislation to build prisons faster. The detailed information on projections for supply of new prison places can be found in the strategy and Annual Statement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26915 on Crown Court: Trials, when she plans to publish the data for each court since June 2024.

Published data presents a range of measures including open caseload volumes, trial effectiveness rates and timeliness. The maximum amount of possible court time and the actual court time used for each Crown Court as contained in the Answer of 5 February 2025, is not currently (and never has been) published as either part of our official statistics series, or as published management information. It is recorded as part of HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) internal Management Information (MI) and used for operational delivery management and planning purposes, as described in my previous answer.The exercise to quality assure the HMCTS internal MI from July 2024 is expected to be completed by mid Spring 2025.

What recourse (a) academics and (b) other people will have who believe that they have had their free speech curtailed, in the context of her proposals for the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023; and when that recourse will be available.

For academics, staff, and external speakers, the amended Office for Students’ (OfS) complaints scheme will be a route of redress through which staff, external speakers and members who believe higher education (HE) providers have breached their duties will be able to raise a complaint. It will be free at the point of use. The amendments to the provisions in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act complaints scheme will require primary legislation, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education will be seeking a legislative vehicle through which to return this to Parliament at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, the HE sector will have new duties in place, as well as requirements to promote freedom of speech and put in place a code of practice in line with the Act.Student complaints on freedom of speech will continue to be handled by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), who already has powers to consider these complaints, and whose service is free at the point of use. The OIA is well-established and recognised by students, and already considers free speech complaints.Existing routes of redress through judicial review and employment tribunals will also continue to exist.We will set out the government’s policy intentions on this and other policy issues in more detail as part of our policy paper, which will be published shortly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024, to Question 13759 on Business: Meetings, if he will take steps to publish supplementary guidance to the Ministerial Code on how Ministers should record meetings with business representatives who have paid money to the political party to which they belong to facilitate a meeting.

Details of ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of external individuals and organisations in attendance. Updated guidance on ministers' meetings was published to GOV.UK on 30 January 2025 at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance.

How many civil servants in his Department have been disciplined for (a) plagiarism and (b) making false statements on a CV when applying for a job in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available.

The Cabinet Office has no record of any civil servants in the Department being disciplined in the latest 12 month period for plagiarism or making false statements on a CV when applying for a job.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November to Question 6094 on Cabinet Office: Civil Servants, for what reason does the Government not publish details of appointments below SCS2 grade.

Approval is required from the Civil Service Commission for any appointment by exception at SCS2 or above. A list of such appointments by exception (SCS2 and above) are published and updated regularly on the Commission’s website. Aggregated data is published on details of appointments by exception below SCS2 grade. There has been no change to these arrangements since the Rt Hon member was a minister in the department.

With reference to page 176 of the National Risk Register 2025 and page 180 of the National Risk Register 2023, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 and (b) Employment Rights Bill on the risk metrics for the National Risk Register 2025 edition.

All risks in the National Risk Register, which is the public-facing version of the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) are kept under review to ensure that they are the most appropriate scenarios to inform emergency preparedness and resilience activity.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his speech entitled The Locarno Speech by the Foreign Secretary: January 2025, published on 9 January 2025; for what reasons were part of the speech redacted; and whether the Government issues guidance on party political speeches in Government buildings.

In this speech, the Foreign Secretary set out his vision for how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will help deliver this Government's Plan for Change and its approach to foreign policy. The essential nature of the speech was not party political. Any party political content was redacted from the gov.uk publication, as per guidance.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the recent Employment Tribunal settlement between Mrs Eleanor Frances versus the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

As a Civil Service Department, the Cabinet Office’s policy in this area is aligned with the Government People Group’s Civil Service model policy. As such, the Cabinet Office policy will be revised in due course to reflect planned updates to the model policy and guidance, which is currently under review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 8434 on Prime Minister: Aviation, which (a) company and (b) commercial facility the Government uses to carbon offset its (i) domestic and (ii) international flights for Ministerial air travel.

All travel using the HMG wet-leased A321 aircraft (known as GBNI) is fully offset. This is done at the end of the financial year to correctly reflect the emissions. The Cabinet Office utilises the HMG Crown Commercial Services (CCS) RM6251 Energy Supply Framework with EDF to offset these emissions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 6093 on Civil Servants: Recruitment, what is the process by which a Minister can request a department (a) appoint and (b) consider appointing a specific individual to the Civil Service without open and fair competition.

The Commission’s Recruitment Principles allow for specific time-limited ‘Exceptions’ to the legal requirement to recruit on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition. Appointment by exception must be either to meet the needs of the government or to enable the Civil Service to participate in a government employment initiative. In such instances, ministers are important stakeholders in the appointment process. Ministers can also, with agreement from the Civil Service Commission, bring in experts and specialist talent without competition - for up to two years – to meet an urgent business need. In most cases, departments determine the case for an Exception themselves. The Civil Service Commission audits departmental use of exceptions as part of its audit programme. The Commission’s approval is however required for: Any appointment by Exception at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2Any extension or variation of any fixed-term appointment previously agreed by the Commission at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2 or aboveThe use of an Exception within 12 months of an earlier Exception for the same individualAny fixed-term appointment by Exception in excess of two years

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21401 on Public Bodies: Finance, if he will list specific hyperlinks for where this information is published on gov.uk.

The Cabinet Office does not hold a central list of where sponsoring departments publish information regarding public bodies reviews and efficiency savings. Sponsoring departments determine the format, contents, and publishing location of this information.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question HL3924 on Brexit, what steps he is taking in response to each of those active infringement proceedings.

We are committed to the full and faithful implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and fulfilling our international obligations. Disputes are a normal part of a mature relationship with international partners. It is not appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22993 on Cabinet Office: Directors, for what reason the declaration of political activity was not published with the announcement of the appointment.

As was the case under the previous administration, the relevant interests of non-executive board members and public appointments will continue to be updated and published bi-annually as part of an established process as set out in the Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process - GOV.UK. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-executive-board-member-declaration-of-interests-process/non-executive-board-member-declaration-of-interests-process)

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 August 2024 to Question 1667 on Prime Minister: Special Advisers, whether special advisers who (a) are part of a trade union and (b) not part of a trade union are permitted to go on strike.

Special advisers are employees of their appointing minister's department and as such have the same legal rights as other employees.

With reference to his Department's guidance entitled The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, published on 15 March 2018, which of the three tests in Chapter 2 the Industrial Strategy Council meets.

The Department for Business and Trade is currently working through the approval process to establish the Industrial Strategy Council as an Arm’s Length Body.

Pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 8126 on Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements, for what reason the public sector trade union facility time data was not published before the end of 2024; and when that data will be published.

The latest public sector trade union facility time data for the year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 has been published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/public-sector-trade-union-facility-time-data)

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21056 on DWP: Political Impartiality, whether her Department holds information on a disciplinary investigation into party political campaigning by officials in her Department during the Rochdale by-election in February and March 2024.

As explained in the Answer of 9 January 2025, details of disciplinary investigations are maintained locally. Investigations and informal sanctions are not centrally recorded. We have been made aware of specific allegations made in relation to employee actions during the Rochdale by-election in February and March 2024, and stated at the time that these would be investigated. The DWP will not comment further on matters pertaining to individual members of staff. Given the way information is recorded, it is not possible to confirm all investigations that may have taken place or be on-going relating to this, or any by-election, without contacting all line managers to confirm locally held information.