Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve post-16 education and skills training provision in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to improving post-16 education and skills provision in all areas, including Lincolnshire, so young people and adults can access the training they need to succeed and support economic growth.
We are delivering record investment in further education and skills, with over £18 billion of programme funding for post-16 education and skills each year and 16 to 19 programme funding rising to over £9 billion in the 2026/27 academic year. We are also investing in college capacity, estates and technical education, alongside reforms creating clearer pathways through A levels, V levels, T Levels, Occupational Certificates and Foundation Certificates.
The Greater Lincolnshire Local Skills Improvement Plan is bringing employers, providers and the combined authority together to identify and address local skills needs. The Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority has also recently taken on responsibility for the Adult Skills Fund, giving local leaders greater flexibility to tailor adult skills provision to the needs of learners and employers across the country.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent on interpreters and related translation services in 2025.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s expenditure in this category for calendar year 2025 was £96,452. More than half these costs were incurred by the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, as part of the outreach work conducted with families for whom language barriers had affected the care they received, as discussed extensively in Baroness Amos’s final report. Of the remaining expenditure, the large majority was accounted for by the purchase of ‘Easy Read’ English services, Welsh translation services, and British Sign Language services.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 (1) uses and (2) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is engaging with the Government Property Agency (GPA) through its Net Zero Programme to track progress in this area and understands GPA intends to undertake feasibility studies and energy audits at a number of sites during this financial year to assess opportunities for rooftop solar panel installation.
Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme with a total of over £3 billion made available up 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport does not monitor food waste from the offices it occupies on a monthly basis. The department does not directly contract any food vendors.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on interpreters and related translation services in 2025.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The total contract costs from 1/1/25 – 1/1/26 are £12,109,032.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Defra there was no expenditure relating to Pride Month in 2026.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport occupies premises owned, leased, and managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA) who are responsible for building assets, including the installation and use of rooftop solar panels.
Funding support for public bodies to install solar panels has been available through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) with a total of over £3 billion made available up to 2028. Great British Energy (GBE) also supports public sector decarbonisation and the GBE Solar programme is investing £255 million to fund around 250 schools, around 260 NHS sites, and around 15 military sites to install solar panels across the country.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (1) 10 Downing Street and (2) Number 10 North monitor the amount of food waste generated each month.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
10 Downing Street monitors food waste on a monthly basis through it's services provider. Heron House already had waste collection management facilities in place, managed by the building service provider directly.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much her Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office is aware of the following Pride related spend:
£7,002.98 to fund the cross-Civil Service LGBT+ Network presence at Pride, covering up to 15 events taking place across the UK during summer 2026. This figure includes two events which took place during Pride Month (June).
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department (a) uses or (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A number of steps have been taken in recent years to reduce energy consumption and costs across the Departmental, including, where appropriate, the installation of solar photovoltaic systems. Information will be set out in future annual reports.