Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on the average bus punctuality rates for Lincolnshire in each year since 2015.

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

The average bus punctuality rates (specifically, the percentage of non-frequent bus services running on time) for Lincolnshire are available for each year between the year ending March 2015 and the year ending March 2024 in the Department’s published Annual Bus Statistics. This data can be found in Table BUS09a: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#bus-reliability-and-punctuality-bus09.

More granular (daily, route-level etc.) punctuality data, including data for Lincolnshire, is provided through the Analyse Bus Open Data Service (ABODS). ABODS enables DfT, local transport authorities, and bus operators to view detailed performance metrics, including line-level, stop-level, and individual journey punctuality, as well as on-time, early, and late arrival patterns based on GPS data from buses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to support grammar schools in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The national funding formula, and wider education policies, support all state-funded schools equally, including grammar schools.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capital funding she plans to provide to schools in Lincolnshire in 2026-27.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has recently announced over £1 billion of new capital investment to support local authorities to create mainstream school places needed by September 2028. £640 million will be allocated in the financial year 2026/27, of which Lincolnshire local authority will receive £23.9 million.

Other capital budgets for 2026/27 will be decided as part of the ongoing multi-year spending review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department.

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

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all departments as part of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, the Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship, will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

In addition, Defra has a group apprenticeship strategy with a clear ambition for year-on-year growth in enrolments. There is a focus on areas where apprenticeships can support organisational priorities, career development for existing staff and addressing key skills gaps.

These include:

• Trailblazer groups related to Asset Management Level 4 and Geoscientist Degree Level 6. Cohorts have been recruited this year, with more planned for 2026.
• Development of a Soils Scientist Level 7 apprenticeship with first cohorts in 2025.
• Development of an Environmental Practitioner degree and an Ecology MSc which are recruited to annually.

Following a successful pilot of a Data Protection and Information Governance cohort in 2023, plans for recruitment of a second cohort in early 2026 have begun.

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 improve fracture liaison services for people aged over 50 in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model, and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.

FLS are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), which make decisions according to local need. This includes the Lincolnshire ICB. We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to delay the implementation of changes to Inheritance Tax for farmers by 12 months.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

These reforms were announced in October 2024 and will take effect in April 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the male estate prison capacity in 2028.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

This Government inherited a prison system in crisis due to the previous government only adding 500 places to the estate in 14 years. If our prisons collapse, courts are forced to suspend trials. The police must halt their arrests, crime goes unpunished, and we face the breakdown of law and order in this country.

We are building the largest expansion of the prison estate since the Victorians, with 14,000 places by 2031. We have already delivered 2,400 places since taking office.

But it is clear that given the rate of demand, we cannot build our way out of this. As the Lord Chancellor set out this week on current forecasts by early 2028, we will be 9,500 places short without further action.

That is why she commissioned and published the Independent Sentencing Review to ensure that we never again run out of prison places and that there will always be space to lock up dangerous offenders.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living in South Holland and the Deepings constituency are claiming PIP and not in work.

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

In the South Holland and The Deepings constituency, 3,750 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants are not in work.

The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10. This only includes claimants with normal rules and who are working-age adults. Data is for March 2024 which is the latest employment data available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in her Department.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-government level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, the ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’, will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

The department also offers over 40 apprenticeship standards, from level 2 to level 7, as a development opportunity to all existing employees. Furthermore, most externally recruited entry grade vacancies are advertised as an apprenticeship. This ensures that we are also offering apprenticeships to external candidates, across most of our locations, as a route into the Civil Service.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Fentanyl by (a) volume and (b) value has been seized in the UK in the last 12 months.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office latest published data on Fentanyl seizures made by the police and Border Force for England and Wales covers the period April 2023-March 2024 and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2024

The Home Office does not publish the monetary (£) value of drugs seized. In the year ending March 2024, the latest published statistics show that police forces and Border Force seized:

• 22 Fentanyl seizures, totalling 218 doses and 0.3kg
• 6 Fentanyl analogue seizures, totalling 1 dose and 1.3 kg

Fentanyl analogues include Carfentanil, Lofentanil, Sufentanil, Alfentanil (Rapifen) and Fentanyl (derivatives of).

Border Force also release quarterly transparency data which include Fentanyl seizures. The latest available data are below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2024

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to increase visible policing in areas in Lincolnshire with high rates of road traffic offences.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

On 10 April the Government outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including by July, every community will have named, and contactable officers dedicated to addressing the issues facing their communities.

At the heart of the Guarantee is ensuring communities have a say in neighbourhood policing in their area, including through regular beat meetings, to help set local priorities, such as tackling high rates of road traffic offences.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Infrastructure Strategy will support infrastructure enhancements in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will reduce uncertainty by bringing together a long-term plan for the social, economic and housing infrastructure across the UK

Alongside considering the UK’s economic and social infrastructure needs, the strategy will set out how we are reforming institutions and changing the way we make decisions and deliver infrastructure, maximising the benefits of our strong fiscal and spending frameworks, breaking down regulatory and planning barriers, and resetting our relationship with the private sector.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Grimsby to Walpole pylon project on (a) farm and (b) wild animals on the route.

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

Developers of the Grimsby to Walpole project, like all nationally significant infrastructure projects in England and Wales, are required to assess the impacts of their proposals. This includes conducting assessments of the project's potential effects on the environment, including farmland and wild animals, through Environmental Impact Assessments and Habitats Regulations Assessments.

Developers also engage with statutory and non-statutory stakeholders, including farmers and environmental organisations, through consultations to ensure their feedback is considered and incorporated into project proposals. The government does not make assessments for specific projects until they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-India free trade agreement on levels of investment in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

This comprehensive agreement is expected to boost increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion and boost wages by £2.2 billion each and every year in the long run.

This deal is expected to make trade between the UK cheaper and easier, which helps encourage more businesses to expand and invest. For example, the high-value manufacturing sector will benefit from reduced Indian import tariffs on many advanced manufacturing goods.

We will set out further information on the regional impacts of this agreement in our Impact Assessment.

Christian persecution in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Found: Afzal Khan Rosie Duffield Danny Kruger Mark Garnier Alex Sobel Mr Alistair Carmichael Sir John Hayes

Found: Afzal Khan Rosie Duffield Danny Kruger Mark Garnier Alex Sobel Mr Alistair Carmichael Sir John Hayes

Found: 2025 Annex: Public Bill Committee The Committee consisted of the following Members: Sir John Hayes

Found: Afzal Khan Rosie Duffield Danny Kruger Mark Garnier Alex Sobel Mr Alistair Carmichael Sir John Hayes