Written questions by Holden.

What information was provided to him on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of information to prospective future governments prior to elections.

The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential.It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not shared publicly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 459 on Bus Services: Concessions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of ending the Get around for £2 bus fare scheme this year on levels of (a) national and (b) regional bus use, broken down by bus operator.

The Department for Transport published an interim report on the £2 fare cap in September 2023 setting out emerging trends in key outcomes from the first two months of the scheme. It is available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap/2-bus-fare-cap-evaluation-interim-report-february-2023. Bus patronage appears to be continuing to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, and people making additional bus trips with the £2 bus fare cap in place are likely to be existing bus users and make a small number of additional trips. DfT is considering the overall value for money of the £2 fare cap as part of our ongoing evaluation, which will continue over the coming months and provide richer conclusions on its effects and people’s attitudes.

What information was provided to the Prime Minister on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of information to prospective future governments prior to elections.

The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not shared publicly.

What plans she has for the role of trade unions in working with specialist technical excellence colleges.

The department will be bringing forward further details on the role of all local partners working with Technical Excellence Colleges in due course. These colleges will work with businesses, trade unions and local government to provide young people and adults high quality training that local economies need.

Communities and Local Government, how many people are sleeping rough.

According to the official Rough Sleeping Snapshot statistics, 3,898 people were estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2023. This was 27% higher than the previous year and represented an annual increase for the second year in a row.The Government is committed to taking action to address all forms of homelessness and will develop a new cross-government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us on back on track to ending homelessness once and for all.We will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament. I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made on 30 July 2024 (HCWS48), setting out our first steps on how we achieve this.

How many students (a) began and (b) completed level (i) 3, (ii) 4, (iii) 5, (iv) 6 and (v) 7 apprenticeships in each year between 1997 and 2024.

Apprenticeship starts and achievements are published by level from academic year 2002/03 and can be found in the following links: 2017/18 to 2023/24 (reported to date):https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/c63cef58-95e2-4f9e-b7d1-08dcab23a860. 2014/15 to 2016/17:https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/bd0d64fd-52e9-4a1e-b7d2-08dcab23a860. 2002/03 to 2013/14 apprenticeship starts:https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5a82b65940f0b62305b93f40%2Fapprenticeships-starts-by-framework-level-and-gender.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK. 2002/03 to 2013/14 apprenticeship achievements:https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5a7f5c50e5274a2e8ab4bb61%2Fapprenticeships-achievements-by-sector-subject-area-level-and-age.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK. To note, intermediate apprenticeships are equivalent to level 2, Advanced apprenticeships are equivalent to level 3 and Higher apprenticeships are equivalent to those at level 4 and above. Apprenticeship starts and achievements within an academic year cannot be used to infer the proportion of apprenticeships that are achieved. They are independent performance metrics. Typically, apprenticeships are achieved in a subsequent academic year to the one they started in.

What her planned timetable is for the creation of an additional 3,000 nurseries.

The department knows that high-quality early education and childcare is a crucial opportunity to transform life chances, yet too often it is unavailable or unaffordable.To tackle this, the department will open an additional 3,000 nurseries through upgrading space in primary schools. The department will start delivering additional places as soon as possible, whilst also driving high and rising standards and better opportunities for every child. The department will work closely with schools, local authorities and private, voluntary and independent providers to help deliver new nursery places and the expansion in childcare entitlements.

What information was provided to her on the public finances prior to taking office; whether she has received any additional information since taking office; and what her policy is on the provision of information to prospective future governments prior to elections.

The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not shared publicly.

What information was provided to him on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of information to prospective future governments prior to elections.

The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential.It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not shared publicly.

How many (a) people, (b) children and (c) pensioners were in absolute poverty in (i) May 2010 and (ii) the last month for which figures are available.

Statistics on the total number of people living in relative and absolute poverty both before and after housing costs are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Figures are produced on an annual basis and available for the breakdowns requested.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 459 on Bus Services: Concessions, what her Department's planned timetable is for concluding its urgent consideration on the future of public transport services.

The government is urgently considering the most effective ways to ensure public transport services are reliable and affordable. We will conclude this as quickly as possible.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 459 on Bus Services: Concessions, whether she plans to extend the Get around for £2 bus fare scheme.

The government is urgently considering the most effective ways to ensure public transport services are reliable and affordable. We will conclude this as quickly as possible.

If she will take steps to repeal the Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013.

The 2013 regulations were introduced to ensure the Director of Public Prosecutions’ pension scheme is uprated in line with other public service pension schemes. There are no plans to repeal the regulations.

What her planned timetable is for the expansion of contactless ticketing to (a) C2C and (b) Greater Anglia services.

We have committed to expanding Pay As You Go (PAYG) contactless ticketing to a further 47 stations in the South East by the end of the year, with 6 stations on the Chiltern railways line having already gone live in June.  This expansion will include the entire c2c network where passengers will benefit from a better ticketing offer. Further details of any wider expansion of PAYG will be announced in due course.

How many and what proportion of working age people were unemployed in (a) May 2010 and (b) the last month for which figures are available.

The UK has experienced a recent rise in unemployment. It has also seen a rise in economic inactivity since the pandemic of 833,000 with long-term sickness rising to 2.8m. The UK remains the only nation in the G7 with an employment rate lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic. The headline UK unemployment level was 2.508 million in March-May 2010 (based on people aged 16 and over). In March-May 2024 (the latest month for which figures are available) the UK unemployment level was 1.528 million. The headline UK unemployment rate was 7.9% in March-May 2010 (this is also estimated on a 16+ basis). In March-May 2024 (the latest month for which figures are available) the UK unemployment rate was 4.4%.

What recent estimate she has made of when each project funded through the most recent round of Safer Roads Funding will be completed.

The latest rounds of the Safer Roads Fund are rounds 3A and 3B. Round 3A was funded in April 2023 to the total of £47.5 million and was granted to 25 Local Authorities to improve 27 roads. Round 3B was funded in March 2024 to the total of £38.3 million and was granted to 14 Local Authorities to improve 17 roads.As Round 3 is still newly funded, local authorities are in the design phase of their schemes. Estimated completion dates are submitted to the Department as part of the Local Authorities' application process with most of round 3 schemes stating 2-3 years from design stage to completion. This would predict between 2025 and 2026 for completion.The Department estimates that groundworks on many of the schemes will begin soon and Department officials will remain in contact with the local authorities, offering support throughout the lifetime of their scheme.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has discussed the Laindon Centre with Basildon Council.

Officials at Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, are in dialogue with Basildon Council to discuss where their programmes, capacity and funding may be able to support the Council’s priorities.

What recent discussions she has had with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman on its planned timetable for the inquiry into abuse at the former Medomsley Detention Centre in County Durham.

The abuse that took place at Medomsley Detention Centre was appalling. The previous government, after years of campaigning by victims and survivors, commissioned the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) in October 2023 to undertake a thorough review of the abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre. The investigation commenced in November 2023 and is looking into what the authorities knew about the abuse over this period, if there were opportunities for them to take action or intervene, and what action they took.At the outset, the PPO expected the review to take 18 months and therefore would conclude in May 2025 (although the Terms of Reference, which are available on the PPO website, do include the options for an extension if required, subject to approval).It is important that the review has enough time to fully investigate what happened, to get the whole truth for victims and survivors. In the coming weeks, my officials and I will discuss the review’s progress with the PPO and his team to ensure that it can be completed as thoroughly but as quickly as possible.

What the annual deficit was (a) in percentage of GDP, (b) in 2010 real terms and (c) as a proportion of government spending in the financial year (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24.

The annual deficit in 2009-2010 was 10.3% of GDP and 4.5% of GDP in 2023-24. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) does not publish the annual deficit in real terms. In order to remove the effects of inflation and provide an indication of a country’s ability to service borrowing and debt, it is typical to compare fiscal aggregates as a percentage of GDP, which represents the scale of the aggregate in comparison to the size of the economy at the relevant time. In nominal terms, the annual deficit was £160.9bn in 2009-2010 and £122.1bn in 2023-24. As a proportion of government spending, the annual deficit was 22.2% in 2009-2010 and 10.0% in 2023-24. More information is available on the ONS’ website under “Public sector finances, UK Statistical bulletins”.

What steps her Department has taken to implement the recommendations of the Twenty-Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2022-23 on Evaluating innovation projects in children’s social care, HC 38, published on 22 November 2022.

The recommendations from the Twenty-Seventh Report of the Committee of Public Accounts rightly highlighted that the innovation projects in children’s social care needed to be fully evaluated and that the subsequent learning from previous innovation work should be sufficiently scaled and spread. The department is committed to ensuring that evaluation and learning drive how it sets the direction for practice in children’s social care. Whilst the recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee have been enacted, there is more that will be done to work with the sector, key stakeholders and those with lived experience, to ensure that this learning translates into improvements for children, young people and their families.