Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

AI is not used by the department to draft legislation.

Officials use AI tools in combination with a range of evidence, collaboration, challenge and technology to deliver policy drafts. They use their judgement and a variety of data sources to apply a critical lens to their advice and analysis to ensure high quality.

Officials use HMT-GPT, the department’s internal AI tool, and Copilot, which are both secure and quality assured for civil service use. Guidance and training for responsible AI usage is provided to staff, making it clear that tools are designed to assist with work, not to replace colleagues in decision making processes.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether House of Commons officials have used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting legislation in the past 12 months.

Answered by Nick Smith

Government bills are drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, which is part of the Cabinet Office, and secondary legislation is generally drafted by the relevant government department.

The House of Commons Public Bill Office (PBO) provides support to individual Members in the drafting of private Members’ bills and of amendments to bills. These are specialised tasks and a range of online resources, training and guidance is available to staff in the PBO. This includes access to Microsoft’s Copilot Chat tool, which is available to all parliamentary account holders. No record is kept of whether or when Copilot is used.

Where a draft Private Members Bill (PMB) or amendment is produced for a Member, the Member concerned ultimately takes responsibility for it by presenting or tabling it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of asylum claims of Chagossians to the United Kingdom from a) Mauritius and b) the Seychelles since July 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her department has undertaken polling of the Chagossian people in respect to the 2025 UK/Mauritius Treaty concerning the Chagos Archipelago.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Accurate polling of Chagossian communities would be challenging given the geographical spread of individuals with Chagossian heritage across the world as well as difficulties in establishing and confirming eligibility to take part. We continue to engage with Chagossian communities, including through meetings of the Chagossian Contact Group, which enables organisations from the UK, Mauritius, Seychelles and France to set out their views directly to the UK Government.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the investigation by the United Nations of the proposed deal with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 13 April, and the answers I provided to questions raised in response, except for matters of ongoing litigation, where I am unable to comment at this time.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost to her Department was of litigation undertaken in the Supreme Court relating to the British Indian Ocean Territory in the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 13 April, and the answers I provided to questions raised in response, except for matters of ongoing litigation, where I am unable to comment at this time.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will list all law firms her department has consulted regarding British Indian Ocean Territory this year.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 13 April, and the answers I provided to questions raised in response, except for matters of ongoing litigation, where I am unable to comment at this time.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Artificial Intelligence tools are routinely used to assist with administrative tasks, subject research, and the arrangement of information into standard templates, but they are not used to draft policy advice, or to prepare draft legislation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department requires ministers and officials to follow the Non-Corporate Communications Channels (NCCCs) Guidance issued by the Government Digital Service: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if her department will cease the passage of the Diego Garcia Military Base & BIOT Bill, in respect to the ruling by Justice Lewis that reinstated the Right of Abode for Chagossians on the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 13 April, and the answers I provided to questions raised in response, except for matters of ongoing litigation, where I am unable to comment at this time.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (1) legal representatives and (2) officials her Department sent to the Judicial Review in the Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory on Friday 13 March 2026.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 13 April, and the answers I provided to questions raised in response, except for matters of ongoing litigation, where I am unable to comment at this time.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her department has kept records of complaints made by Chagossian asylum seekers fleeing Mauritius and applying for asylum in the United Kingdom in the last 10 years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office records all complaints received. However, complaints are not routinely categorised or collated by the specific criteria requested, and the information is therefore not held.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Officials within the Department for Work and Pensions have access to artificial intelligence tools that may be used to support efficiency in their day‑to‑day work. However, responsibility for developing policy and legislative proposals remains with officials and all final decisions on substantive policy or legal issues continue to be taken by Ministers.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to support activities including corporate and administrative activities, drafting and analysis. AI is used in accordance with all relevant departmental and government guidelines, to ensure transparency, accountability and responsible and ethical use and data protection. AI tools in DESNZ are not used for decision-making, and civil servants remain fully accountable for decisions based on AI products and outputs. All drafting of policy and legislation is conducted in accordance with government and departmental guidelines and all legislation and policy is finalised and decided upon by an expert in accordance with government and departmental guidelines.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As of 1 January 2026, there were 889 public electric vehicle (EV) chargers in Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire County Council were awarded almost £6.4 million funding through the Government’s LEVI Fund to increase the number of local chargepoints across the area. LEVI funding and private investment will significantly scale the number of public charge points near to homes, giving residents confidence to switch to an EV. Under LEVI, Lincolnshire and other collaborating local authorities are currently procuring a supplier.

Lincolnshire will also benefit from over £400,000 awarded to the Greater Lincolnshire County Combined Authority through the £25 million EV Pavement Channels grant, which will support residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home, accessing cheaper tariffs through their domestic energy supplies.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department uses approved AI tools, such as M365 Copilot, to support officials across the breadth of their work to help drive productivity and efficiency.

Ministers have not used AI for the drafting of legislation or policy in the past 12 months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his department since 2020.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We define ‘training programmes’ as a broad term covering both individual courses (e.g. Advising and Briefing) and a collection of interventions under one scheme ‘banner’, (e.g. Beyond Boundaries).

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) provides training programmes for civil servants through a combination of cross‑government, departmental and locally procured learning alongside apprenticeships and structured development schemes.

Since 2020, Departmental capability-building activity has included learning accessed through Civil Service Learning and the Government Campus, which bring together core, functional and profession‑specific training across government. During this time, the Department has offered learning programmes covering topics including core skills, leadership and management, and specialist and domain-specific skills.

The Department does not hold a single centrally maintained list of all individual training courses undertaken, as learning is delivered by a range of teams. This includes a central Capabilities team, teams delivering profession-specific learning, and teams sharing domain-specific knowledge and best practice.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Lincolnshire in each of the last ten years; and what the level of each award was.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the Crisis and Resilience Fund for off-gas grid households using heating oil will be allocated to Lincolnshire.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 April 2026 to Question UIN 122640.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise public awareness of bowel cancer in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Yeovil on 30 March 2026 to Question 122582.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is exploring various applications of AI to enhance corporate services and drive efficiency. Officials may use approved AI tools (such as large language models) to help with drafting policy and legislation, but responsibility for finalising and approving resulting outputs rests with officials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport published the Transport AI Action Plan in June 2025 which sets out the Department’s approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The action plan represents the start of a step-change for AI in our transport system, recognising its power to increase resilience, productivity and turbo-charge innovation across the private and public sectors.

Over the last 12 months, the Department for Transport has continued to use AI for operational purposes and has taken part in a pilot of the Microsoft Copilot AI product with approximately 1,300 staff, to assess its potential benefits.

However, the Department does not centrally use AI in legislative or policy decision‑making. Where such tools have been used, this has been on an assistive basis only (for example, summarising information or improving readability), and not to generate policy or legislative content. Responsibility for the substance, accuracy and final drafting of all departmental policy and legislation remains with civil servants.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether their Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have rolled out Microsoft Copilot across the Department to enhance efficiency and support the work of all staff, including policy professionals. The rollout was accompanied by training and guidance which states that all work produced by AI must be checked with an appropriate level of rigour to ensure trustworthiness, reliability, and to avoid bias.

Copilot is used by staff across the department including legislation and policy teams. The department is clear that document authors are fully accountable for policy judgement and conclusions and compliance with departmental, legal, and information governance, irrespective of whether or not AI has been used to assist with drafting.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent heating oil theft in rural communities in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. We will modernise policing in this country – equipping it to tackle more sophisticated, online, and cross-border crimes (like fuel theft, wildlife crime and organised equipment theft), while also restoring neighbourhood policing.

We have hit our target of 3,000 more neighbourhood officers in March – and our target remains 13k by the end of the parliament. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets a named contactable officer and a response to non-urgent queries in 72 hours. Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.

This financial year (FY25/26) we are providing £800,000 of funding to the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, and we will be providing the same level of funding in 26/27. These capabilities play key roles in helping police across the UK tackle organised theft and disrupt serious and organised crime groups, which can pose unique challenges for policing in large and isolated rural areas.

The Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime, which is why we worked closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the next iteration of their Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy and sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

The drafting of policy and both primary and secondary legislation is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. A range of tools are used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used for research and to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts. Work is continuously underway to identify ways of improving the efficiency of this work, including collaboration between departments to share ideas and emerging practices.

Whilst AI can be used to assist with the drafting of policy and legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human drafter to meet the high standards expected of Government.

It is Parliament's responsibility to scrutinise and amend legislation as it sees necessary.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will list the training programmes used by civil servants in her Department since 2023.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) provides training for civil servants through a combination of cross‑government, departmental and locally procured learning, alongside apprenticeships and structured development schemes.

We define training programmes as a broad term covering both individual courses and collections of interventions delivered under a single scheme.

Since its establishment, DSIT has accessed learning through Civil Service Learning, the Government Campus, and specialist external providers, which together support core, functional, profession‑specific and domain‑specific capability‑building. The Department has offered learning covering core skills, leadership and management, and specialist skills, including artificial intelligence.

DSIT also offers internal learning through departmental‑led provision, including learning supported through professions and initiatives focused on leadership development, specialist capability‑building, and talent and career development.

DSIT does not hold a single, centrally maintained list of all individual training courses undertaken. Learning is delivered through multiple teams and platforms aligned to business and professional needs, which is consistent with practice across government departments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department offers a wide range of training and development opportunities to our employees across a broad curriculum. The majority of this training is delivered through the cross‑government Civil Service Learning platform, which can be accessed at Skills for Government here: https://prospectus.governmentcampus.co.uk/find-out-more/skills-for-government/.

Core learning areas accessed by the department include:

• Planning and delivery

• Leadership

• Communication

• Working with Parliament and government

• Grant management

• Problem solving

• Line management

• Developing behaviours

• Information, data and analysis

• Change management and agility

• Budget management

• Contract management

• Stakeholder and customer engagement

• IT software skills

• Artificial intelligence.

In addition, directorates and professional functions across the department commission or access bespoke training where required to meet specialist, technical or role‑specific needs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The diverse nature of roles in HM Treasury means training is often provided at team-level rather than being centrally managed. As such, a list of all training courses is not readily available centrally and the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department recognises the opportunities for productivity and efficiency enabled by effective deployment of artificial intelligence (AI). Any use of AI is undertaken in line with relevant government guidance on security and transparency, and under appropriate oversight. The department has made proportionate use of AI‑enabled tools to support tasks such as information retrieval and summarisation. These tools are used to assist officials and do not replace decision making or professional expertise

The drafting of primary and secondary legislation is often the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. A range of tools are used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human drafter to meet the high standards expected of government legislation.

All secondary legislation is subject to established governance arrangements and are drafted and finalised under the responsibility of qualified lawyers.

It is Parliament's responsibility to scrutinise and amend legislation as it sees necessary.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Over this period, the majority of the training has been delivered via the Government Campus’ Learning Framework. The listed training includes e-learning, in-person training, live virtual training, and structured programmes involving various sessions. Some sessions have been run on a closed basis, just for DIT/DBT staff and others have involved an individual member of staff going taking a place on a cross-government course.

The attached document sets out a list of the training programmes undertaken via the framework in this period for DBT staff and for staff in DIT prior to the formal creation of DBT in Feb 2023. We do not have access to pre-DBT data from the former BEIS.

If an application is made to Government Campus and they agree that the specific learning need cannot be met via the Learning Framework, alternative training can be procured, subject to commercial rules. There is no central record of what training has been undertaken by DBT civil servants under this provision as a significant amount of learning is organised and funded at the level of individual teams.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department’s approach to learning, development, and training programmes is designed to build a highly skilled, confident workforce. The Department has progressively strengthened its offer since 2020 through the introduction and iteration of the Core Skills Programme. The training programme focuses on developing profession specific and working in Government skills.

In addition to departmental learning provisions, business areas are allocated devolved learning and development budgets, enabling them to prioritise training that addresses their own identified capability needs. These individual training requirements tend to be job-specific, personal development, technical, qualifications, or accreditation based, or subject matter expertise related, such as specific policy areas.

A full list of departmental provision since 2020 is provided below, and this is in addition to courses that can be booked individually through Civil Service Learning, the cross Civil Service Learning Platform:

- Management Fundamentals 2020;

- New Manager Programme 2021;

- Experienced Manager Programme 2021;

- Foundation Management Programme 2023;

- Practitioner Management Programme 2023;

- Department of Health and Social Care Management Fundamentals 2023;

- ACAS Line Manager training 2023;

- Core Skills Programme 2023 to present, covering policy, digital, project delivery, commercial, analysis and finance, and working in Government skills;

- the Department’s Management Academy, Managing Change Programme 2023 to 2024, to strengthen capability in leading people through organisational change;

- People Policies Workshop 2025 to present, for line-management learning intervention focused on practical application of core people policies; and

- Leadership Development Programme, which is ongoing.

The Department also delivers a number of talent schemes which incorporate formal training and development programmes alongside on‑the‑job experience. These schemes are designed to build future capability in priority professions and leadership pipelines, supporting individuals at different career stages, including both delegated grades and Senior Civil Servants (SCS), through a combination of a defined learning curriculum, practical development, and coaching and mentoring. A list of departmental talent schemes that have delivered training programmes since 2020 is set out below. For delegated grade talent schemes, they are as follows:

- Health Policy Fast Track Scheme;

- Civil Service Fast Stream;

- Future Leaders Scheme;

- Beyond Boundaries;

- Interdepartmental Talent Programme;

- Summer Internship Programme;

- Autism Exchange Internship Programme;

- Care Leavers Internship Scheme; and

- Civil Service Apprenticeship Programmes.

And for SCS talent schemes, the programmes are as follows:

- Senior Leaders Scheme;

- Directors Leadership Programme;

- Forward Institute Exchange Programme ;

- Forward Institute Fellowship;

- Individual Development Programme;

- OpDel Exchange Programme;

- Policy Fellowship for the Centre for Science and Policy;

- Whitehall and Industry Group Senior Leaders Programme;

- Whitehall and Industry Group Exchange Programme; and

- High Potential Development Scheme.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2023.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of industrial action by resident doctors in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2024, the cost of industrial action by resident doctors was approximately £180 million. In 2025, there were three rounds of industrial action, in July, November, and December, each of five days. We have estimated industrial action costs at £50 million per day, so the total estimated cost for 2025 is £750 million.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released early in Lincolnshire in the last 12 months.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.

Without the changes this Government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety and leading to a disastrous impact on public confidence in the criminal justice system.

We regularly publish data on release from prison, including on forms of early release – for example we publish SDS40 data alongside the quarterly Offender Management statistics: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK.

Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has now been passed, to ensure we never run out of prison space again and to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will list the training programmes used by civil servants in her Department since 2020.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

A complete list of training programmes used by civil servants in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 2020 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to reduce the number of illegal tobacco and vaping products on sale in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to reducing the number of illicit tobacco and vaping products on sale nationally.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a robust strategy to tackle the illicit tobacco trade ‘Stubbing Out the Problem’.

HMRC works closely with National and Local Trading Standards to disrupt the illicit tobacco trade at retail level through Operation CeCe, which has since it began in January 2021removed more than 74 million illicit cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale.

HMRC has also introduced a strengthened sanctions regime for breaches of the UK Tobacco Track and Trace System to combat illicit tobacco sales. This granted new powers to Trading Standards, enabling them to refer cases to HMRC where they find evidence of high street retailers selling tobacco products that do not comply with the System. HMRC can then then investigate and issue civil sanctions, including penalties of up to £10,000.

£100 million of new ‘smokefree’ funding has been allocated over 5 years to boost existing HMRC and Border Force enforcement capability.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, HMRC and Border Force seized 1.36bn cigarettes and 92,435kg of hand-rolling tobacco.

As with tobacco, there is a cross-government approach to reducing the number of illegal vapes. The vaping equivalent of Operation CeCe - Operation Joseph led to the seizure of over 1 million illegal vapes in 2023-24, the last full year for which statistics are available.

HMRC are working closely with both Trading Standards and Border Force to develop a robust compliance approach for the introduction of Vaping Products Duty (VPD) on 1 October 2026.

VPD is a new excise duty on vaping products, which will introduce additional compliance powers and controls across the vaping supply chain. This includes the introduction of a Vaping Duty Stamps (VDS) scheme, which will require highly secure stamps to be placed on all duty paid goods, supporting enforcement agencies and customers to identify illegal products.

HMRC are recruiting over 300 staff to strengthen this compliance approach and deliver VPD.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the constitutional implications of rejecting the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on changes to women's state pension age, published 21 March 2024.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

We have taken the PHSO’s report seriously and given the findings the close examination that they deserved. We have set out the detailed reasons for our decision in our new response, on the 29 January, which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on his review of the records of nuclear test veterans.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The records exercise is nearing completion, and I shall update the House in due course. In parallel, as part of wider work, over 19,300 historic nuclear testing records are now publicly accessible having been transferred to the National Archives from the Merlin database.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Civil servants have access to a wide range of training through the Government Campus and Civil Service Learning (CSL), covering areas including leadership, policy, digital and project management skills. Key provision includes Civil Service Essentials, Line Management Induction, and specialised courses on security, policy‑making and communications. A recommended learning curriculum is published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-civil-service-recommended-curriculum.

Defence also provides training for its Civil Service workforce through a range of internal programmes, including classified courses and profession and domain specific training, which are organised and delivered at a local level.

A comprehensive list of all training programmes within the scope of the question is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to boost flood defences in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is investing in flood risk management across South Holland and the Deepings through a combination of Flood Defence Grant in Aid and maintenance funding delivered by the Environment Agency and local partners. This funding supports the maintenance, repair and improvement of flood defence assets across the constituency.

In 2026/27, £1.6 million of Flood Defence Grant in Aid was provided to the South Holland Internal Drainage Board for capital maintenance works to the Exeter Drain pipeline and channel in Spalding, and for improvements at the South Holland Main Drain outfall at Sutton Bridge Sluice.

The Environment Agency continues to maintain flood defence infrastructure, including Surfleet Sluice, and is reviewing flood storage areas such as the Crowland and Cowbit Washes.

In addition, Lincolnshire County Council received £7.18 million through Defra’s Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme to lead Project Groundwater, improving understanding of groundwater flood risk and community resilience.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

(a) The drafting of legislation is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments.

A range of tools can be used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts. Work is continuously underway to identify ways of improving the efficiency of this work, including collaboration between departments to share ideas and emerging practices.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of human drafters to meet the high standards expected of Government legislation. The Scotland Office has not led primary legislation in the last 12 months.

It is Parliament’s responsibility to scrutinise legislation as it sees necessary.

(b) The drafting of policy documents and advice is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. Scotland Office officials work closely with departments in policy development, and in producing advice to Ministers.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of policy advice, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human policy advisor to ensure the advice is factual and meets the high standards expected of Government Ministers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with Cystic Fibrosis in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with cystic fibrosis in Lincolnshire and has no current plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

There are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with cystic fibrosis may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, and whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her Department since 2020.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A list of training undertaken via the Civil-Service Learning Frameworks from January 2023 to March 2026, and course descriptors, are available via the Prospectus Online. Training data relating to the period prior to January 2023 is not accessible to the department.

Training delivered internally or procured by the department outside of the Central Government Learning Frameworks over the last five years is not centrally available, and to obtain this information would result in disproportionate cost to the department; therefore this will not be published.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The drafting of primary and secondary legislation is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. A range of tools are used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts. Work is continuously underway to identify ways of improving the efficiency of this work, including collaboration between departments to share ideas and emerging practices.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of any draft remains the responsibility of a lead human drafter to meet the high standards expected of Government legislation.

Policy teams in DCMS can use approved AI tools to assist with the drafting and synthesis of documents, as well as the analysis of data; however, like other government departments, we have a strong human-led AI approach, meaning that any policy document, analysis or decision made remains the responsibility of a human, and no decision is made based on AI outputs alone, without manual intervention or overarching human accountability. This approach aligns with the UK Government’s AI Playbook, published in 2025, and with DCMS’s wider work to support the secure, appropriate, responsible and well-governed use of AI across the department.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The drafting of primary and secondary legislation is the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. A range of tools are used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts. Work is continuously underway to identify ways of improving the efficiency of this work, including collaboration between departments to share ideas and emerging practices.

While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human drafter to meet the high standards expected of Government legislation. It is Parliament’s responsibility to scrutinise and amend legislation as it sees necessary.

We have an internal operational framework in place for all NIO staff. While this a practical guide, it mandates that all AI use must align with the Civil Service Code and NIO’s security and data protection policies. This framework enforces strategic principles by referencing the UK Government’s AI Playbook and strictly restricting AI from making any final decisions that affect people, ensuring human control. All use of AI in the NIO must be checked by a human, including when used to support the development of policy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the list of training programmes used by civil servants in her Department since 2020.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

There is no single authoritative source that captures all locally commissioned or bespoke training activity across the Department.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regional distribution of energy cost support for businesses in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade manages two energy cost support schemes, the British Industry Supercharger and the Energy-Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme, to support eligible energy-intensive industries with the indirect costs of emissions levies and electricity policy and network costs. These schemes provide support to around 550 businesses across the whole of Great Britain, including some of the most electricity and trade-intensive businesses in Lincolnshire.

From April 2027 the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme is expected to support over 10,000 additional manufacturing businesses across the whole of Great Britain with an additional payment in 2027 to cover the 2026/27 period.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether their Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will work with the HSE to reinstate proactive inspections in the agriculture industry.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Since 2020, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has provided training programmes accessed via Civil Service Learning, Government campus and an internal curriculum. The offer includes the development of core skills, leadership and management, profession related training and accelerated-development programmes including apprenticeships and the Civil service Fast Stream programme.

We do not hold a central list of all training that Civil Servants in DCMS have either attended or completed, as the training programmes are delivered by a cross-section of teams. This involves several groups including a central People development team, profession-specific learning teams, policy teams and individual Directorates sharing knowledge and best practice.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to reduce agricultural fatalities in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.