Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
As at 31 December 2025, 203 Ministry of Defence individuals within the core workforce had their work location listed as either 'tasked from home' or 'home-based' on MyHR, the Civilian HR management computer system, indicating that they had a home-based contract. This represented 0.41% of a total core workforce of 50,026.
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, if she will take steps to produce an annual report on the state of NHS dentistry in England.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At present, NHS England reports on progress against its objectives for National Health Service dentistry as part of its annual report to Parliament. We will keep options for reporting progress in this area under review.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department (a) uses and (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport does utilise roof space for the deployment of solar panels on its premises where it is viable and cost effective.
Where the Department for Transport occupies premises leased by the Government Property Agency (GPA), we are engaging with 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 (PSDS) 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 the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how much his Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
No money was spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026 by former Department for Business and Trade or former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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, whether his Department (a) uses and (b) is taking steps to install rooftop solar panels on its premises.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department currently has solar PV installations in operation across 7 sites within its estate and a programme to complete a further 10 installations on our sites during the current financial year (2026-2027).
In addition, the Department is actively engaging with our landlords to identify further opportunities for rooftop solar deployment and is developing a pipeline of potential projects for future delivery, subject to feasibility, landlord agreement and funding availability.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department monitors the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month.
Answered by Melanie Ward - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
The Scotland Office does not monitor the amount of food waste generated by its offices each month. The Department's offices are located in buildings managed by the Government Property Agency and HM Revenue and Customs. Both the Government Property Agency and HMRC provide facilities management services, and are responsible for monitoring and recording food waste generated within those buildings.
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, what proportion of overpayments under the COVID-19 Voluntary Repayment Scheme have been recovered since 2020.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The COVID-19 Voluntary Repayment Scheme (VRS) was a three-month scheme that ran from 12 September 2025 to 12 December 2025 in which individuals and businesses could repay COVID-19 support money that they were not entitled to, misused or simply did not need.
For Covid Loan Schemes, borrowers were not required to register with the VRS and were instead encouraged to contact their lender directly to make repayments. As a result, repayment activity relating to Covid Loan Schemes is not captured through the VRS and cannot be reported separately. For Covid Business Support Grant Schemes, eight respondents repaid a total of £108,785.29.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much her Department spent on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department did not spend anything on activities relating to Pride Month 2026.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support grassroots football in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing at least £400 million into community grassroots sport facilities across the next four years. In 2026/27, this includes £85 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide.
Since the 2024/25 financial year, DCMS has distributed £12,812 to South Holland and the Deepings constituency to support the improvement of grassroots football and multi-sport facilities, supporting investment in new goalposts at Tyrell’s Yard, Holbeach Bank Playing Field and Moulton Harrox among other venues.
We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what grassroots sports facilities each community needs to inform future investment.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department provides to museums and galleries in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Earlier this year, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced a £1.5 billion funding package for culture over this Parliament, £160 million of which is earmarked for local museums around the country. This includes further rounds of the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which has previously funded essential infrastructure projects in Lincolnshire: in 2024, Spalding Gentlemen's Society received £1.8 million from MEND, and Boston Guildhall was awarded £401,000 in 2026.
Arts Council England (ACE) is investing over £450 million of public money into its National Portfolio programme this financial year, providing core funding to c.974 organisations across the country. Several Lincolnshire organisations are part of the National Portfolio, including Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery in Lincoln, 20:21 Visual Arts Gallery in Scunthorpe and the Ropewalk in Barton-upon-Humber, as well as Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, North Lincolnshire Museum and Normanby Hall (as part of Humber Museums Partnership). Other Lincolnshire museums to receive funding from ACE include Chain Bridge Forge museum (£57,000 National Lottery Project Grant in 2024), Louth Museum (£1,261 National Lottery Project Grant in 2025), and The Village Church Farm Museum (£14,085 from the DCMS Museum Renewal Fund in 2025).
Boston, East Lindsey, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, and West Lindsey are all Culture Priority Places. These are local authority areas in England in which we will focus public investment and engagement to ensure the benefits of arts and culture can be felt where need is greatest.