Written questions by Lowe.

Whether (a) current and (b) former (i) civil servants and (ii) politicians will be required to give evidence to the grooming gangs inquiry; what steps her Department is taking to ensure accountability of public officials involved in the handling of grooming gang cases; and whether public officials found to have engaged in wrongdoing will be liable to prosecution.

The National Inquiry will utilise existing legislation in the Inquiries Act 2005 to appoint an independent chair who will determine the conduct and procedure of the inquiry. We will announce further details on the inquiry, including the appointment of an independent chair, in due course.

What task forces are funded by each Department.

This information is not held centrally. Individual departments are responsible for any task forces they establish.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will publish demographic breakdowns of (a) perpetrators and (b) victims by (i) race, (ii) gender, (iii) nationality and (iv) immigration status.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether her Department can compel local authorities to release safeguarding files on group-based child sexual exploitation.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

How many victims of grooming gangs have applied for compensation; and how many have been rejected.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) deeply sympathises with all victims of sexual crimes and recognises the trauma suffered by victims of these abhorrent offences.CICA cannot provide figures about compensation to victims of grooming gangs. This is because awards of compensation under the statutory Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme are made for the physical and/or mental injuries sustained by the victim rather than the type of offence committed.Each claim for compensation is considered on its own facts and decided using all the information available from the applicant, the police, and other relevant sources.

Whether whistleblowers who were (a) disciplined, (b) dismissed and (c) ignored for raising concerns on grooming gangs will receive (i) an official apology and (ii) compensation.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will include the role of (a) ethnicity, (b) culture and (c) religion in (i) enabling and (ii) concealing group-based child sexual exploitation.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will ensure that (a) FOI returns, (b) court transcripts, (c) internal memos, (d) inter-agency communications and (e) other evidence submitted to the grooming gang inquiry is published.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will commit to implementing all recommendations from the grooming gang inquiry within 12 months.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether (a) independent whistleblowers, (b) frontline professionals, (c) survivor-led organisations and (d) journalists will be formally included in the grooming gang inquiry.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will examine (a) internal police complaints, (b) whistleblower evidence and (c) deleted material on grooming gang investigations.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will appoint a chair with no (a) political affiliation and (b) prior conflict to lead the grooming gang inquiry.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

If she will review the adequacy of data collection by (a) police, (b) councils and (c) government in identifying systemic abuse.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will link (a) police and (b) council data nationally to create map of (a) grooming gang activity and (b) institutional failure.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

Whether the grooming gang inquiry will release historic exploitation data back to the 1960s on a rolling basis.

We will announce further details on the inquiry in due course.

What the average time was to obtain a UK driving test in each region in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and what percentage of applicants were foreign nationals.

The table below shows the average waiting time for a car practical driving test by driving test centre regions, for the financial year 2024/25. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not collect any data regarding the customer's nationality when they book, or attend, their car practical driving test. RegionAverage Waiting Time In WeeksZone A (Scotland and North-East England)17.1Zone B (Wales and North-West England)17.5Zone C (Midlands and South-West England)21.6Zone D (London and South-East England)22.4National19.5

Whether her Department has had discussions with counter-terrorism police on the potential impact of full-face coverings in public settings on national security.

The Home Office has regular and routine discussions with counter-terrorism policing on a wide range of national security issues.The Crime and Policing Bill contains a new criminal offence of wearing, or otherwise using, an item that conceals identity in an area designated by police due to the risk of criminal activity taking place at protests. This will enable the police to put a stop to individuals hiding behind masks to avoid conviction for criminal activity at protests.

How many fines were issued to parents for school absence in the last 12 months; and what the value was of those fines.

The most recent data held by the department covers the 2023/24 academic year and is available in the statistical release on parental responsibility measures, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/parental-responsibility-measures/2023-24.The information requested covering the last 12 months is not held by the department. Data for 2024/25 will be published in early 2026.

How many and what proportion of religious institutions in the UK receive funding from foreign governments or entities, broken down by (a) religion and (b) source of funding.

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across various Government departments and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What the cost to the NHS was of missed appointments in 2024.

The Department does not hold data on the overall cost to the National Health Service of missed appointments.