John Hayes

The Commission is unable to give the exact proportion of procured food that is sourced in the UK due to the size and volume of goods procured. However, when contracts are put out to tender, they stipulate that preference will be given to bidders with robust environmental and local sourcing policies, and those with strong links to British farming organisations such as the English Farming and Food Partnership, and the Red Tractor scheme.

The vast majority of fresh products, such as meat, poultry, dairy, eggs, bread, ice cream, and most fruit and vegetables when in season are sourced from within the UK. This includes a commitment to ensure that menus showcase seasonal variation and that in-season produce be highlighted to customers, as well as championing local producers.

The number of heat pumps installed on the Parliamentary estate over the past three years is as follows:

2022: 10 heat pumps
2023: 41 heat pumps
2024: 18 heat pumps

Most of these heat pumps have been configured to provide cooling for comms rooms. A comms room (short for communications room) is a dedicated space within a building that houses critical networking and telecommunications equipment. Its primary purpose is to manage data exchange, connectivity, and communication infrastructure for an organisation. In Parliament we call these rooms Secondary Distribution Points (SDPs). Comms rooms are a common feature in most buildings with a reasonable level of IT infrastructure. Air conditioning (provided by a heat pump system) is often used to maintain stable temperatures to prevent overheating and malfunction of the IT equipment.

Where heat pumps are proposed on the Parliamentary estate the system design is interrogated to ensure that the noise generated is not excessive and suitable for the context in which it is located.

Like all other equipment, system components and machines on the estate, heat pumps consume electricity. The design of any proposed heat pump on the estate will be interrogated to confirm that the electrical supply proposed for the heat pump is suitable and can be met by the estate’s electrical infrastructure.

The number of heat pumps installed on the Parliamentary estate over the past three years is as follows:

2022: 10 heat pumps
2023: 41 heat pumps
2024: 18 heat pumps

Most of these heat pumps have been configured to provide cooling for comms rooms. A comms room (short for communications room) is a dedicated space within a building that houses critical networking and telecommunications equipment. Its primary purpose is to manage data exchange, connectivity, and communication infrastructure for an organisation. In Parliament we call these rooms Secondary Distribution Points (SDPs). Comms rooms are a common feature in most buildings with a reasonable level of IT infrastructure. Air conditioning (provided by a heat pump system) is often used to maintain stable temperatures to prevent overheating and malfunction of the IT equipment.

Where heat pumps are proposed on the Parliamentary estate the system design is interrogated to ensure that the noise generated is not excessive and suitable for the context in which it is located.

Like all other equipment, system components and machines on the estate, heat pumps consume electricity. The design of any proposed heat pump on the estate will be interrogated to confirm that the electrical supply proposed for the heat pump is suitable and can be met by the estate’s electrical infrastructure.

The Office for Equality and Opportunity does not have its own definition of gender identity.

All staff at the Equality and Human Rights Commission are working to advance equality through their statutory remit. No staff are specifically employed in full-time equivalent diversity, equality and inclusion roles.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of wildlife crime in Lincolnshire and across the country.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has fourteen Areas (regional teams) across England and Wales – the CPS East Midlands Area serves the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire including the cities of Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, and the county of Rutland.

More broadly, we have announced that the CPS will receive an additional £49m to support victims of crime and transform the services they provide to the public.

We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

We are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

CPS prosecutors also work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS also provides legal guidance on wildlife, rural, and heritage crime, which is available to all its prosecutors to assist them in dealing with these cases. It also provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Government Legal Department is making limited use of generative AI (“Gen AI”) powered by large language models. Since December 2024, GLD has been running a trial of Microsoft’s M365 Copilot, which now has 100 participants and will shortly increase to 150. GLD’s AI Programme is considering where AI may be used and provide tangible benefits within specific work areas and processes, including proposed testing of online legal research tools with Gen AI-based capabilities.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is exploring new and existing technologies, including AI, to enhance efficiency. AI has the potential to support the CPS day-to-day in the delivery of justice. I am keen to explore the opportunities for efficiency that this new technology can bring, being mindful of ethical considerations.

A pilot of Microsoft Copilot concluded in August 2024, with approximately over 400 staff across the organisation given access to Copilot to assist them in everyday tasks such as summarising emails, creating PowerPoint presentations, and analysing excel data.

The scheme established that that Copilot reduced the amount of time it took staff to complete administrative and day-to-day tasks and has the capacity to save thousands of hours across the organisation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

During the past 12 months, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been trialling the use of Technology Assisted Review (TAR), utilising AI, on a live criminal case. The trial demonstrated that TAR could help meet legal disclosure obligations more efficiently.

The trial adhered to relevant disclosure guidelines and officials are still making the decisions on what is in fact relevant and what is disclosed.

Following the success of the trial, the SFO is planning to use TAR in more SFO cases in the future.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country

Ministers have not used AI in the Department in their roles as Law Officers.

A small number of officials within the Department have been piloting the use of a Microsoft 365 application ‘CoPilot’ which can be used to summarise content and meetings, assisting with drafting content and interrogating information. ChatGPT has also previously been used in this manner.

The Places for Growth Programme has been gathering data on relocation of Government roles from London since September 2021. Since then, latest published data shows 21,002 roles have been relocated from London. By year:

• 3,999 roles were relocated in 2021.

• 7,113 roles were relocated in 2022.

• 7,171 roles were relocated in 2023.

• 2,719 roles were relocated in Quarter 1 of 2024 (the latest published data).

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th March is attached.

The Race To The Top (RTTT) grade 6/7 Network was a collaborative volunteer network which no longer exists. The RTTT does not hold a budget, but a department can choose to provide support where there is a business case to do so. We are not aware of any such financial support. We are not aware of any cost to the public purse of the Race To The Top Grade 6/7 Network since 2020. We do not hold any records prior to this date. The RTTT network was created in 2018.

The Civil Service LGBT+ staff network is a volunteer collaborative group of Civil Service staff. The LGBT+ network does not hold a budget, but a department can choose to provide support where there is a business case to do so. We are not aware of any such financial support. There has been no cost to the public purse of the LGBT+ network since 2020. We do not hold any records prior to this date. The LGBT+ network was created in 2003.

A:gender was founded in 2003. As a staff network, it is a volunteer collaborative group of Civil Service staff. We do not hold final central records for any funding prior to 2020. Based on the information the Cabinet Office holds, funding was provided from 2020-2021 to 2023-2024. No funding was provided in 2024-25.

Data from the Equality, Diversity and Expenditure (EDI) Review will be published in due course. This will include the overall spend from 2020 onwards for cross CS EDI networks, which will incorporate any a:gender expenditure.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police and local authorities with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour, including the misuse of fireworks.

To inform any future decisions I have and will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible and appropriate manner. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, animals, and property.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the unregulated sale and misuse of fireworks on public safety including the purchase for antisocial use and damage to property.

However, to inform any future decisions I have and will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

Most people use fireworks in a responsible and appropriate manner. The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, animals, and property.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the unregulated sale and misuse of fireworks on public safety including the purchase for antisocial use and damage to property.

However, to inform any future decisions I have and will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their circumstances.

New Respect Orders will enable police and local councils to enforce strict behavioural conditions on persistent perpetrators of antisocial behaviour - banning them from local town centres and neighbourhoods including high streets and parks. Offenders could be required to address causes of their behaviour through mandatory rehabilitative conditions.

The Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”), formed in 2014, is committed to developing the next generation of competition and consumer protection professionals and recognises the importance of nurturing a diverse and skilled workforce. Through its apprenticeships programme, the CMA offers individuals the opportunity to gain both a recognised professional qualification and hands-on experience in various fields including business administration, law, economics and finance.

Since the CMA began offering apprenticeships in April 2016, 125 apprentices have been enrolled on CMA programmes, which is broken down by year below: