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, what proportion of children in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire were able to access an NHS dentist in the last 12 months.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer provided on 12 October in response to Question 29603, the latest NHS Dental Statistics show continued improvement across a range of key measures. Just under three million additional NHS dental treatments were delivered in 2025/26 compared to the year before the 2024 election, around half of which benefited children, with access for children now above pre-pandemic levels. These statistics, which include data for NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, are available at the following link:
www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202526
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners released under the early release scheme were given electronic tags in each of the past three years.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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 much his Department has spent on contracts with (a) Serco, (b) Capita and (c) G4S in each of the past three years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence’s expenditure on contracts with Serco, Capita and G4S over the past three years is set out below.
Serco | Capita | G4S | |||
Financial year | Expenditure | Financial year | Expenditure | Financial year | Expenditure |
2023/24 | £0.16bn | 2023/24 | £0.29bn | 2023/24 | £0.21m |
2024/25 | £0.17bn | 2024/25 | £0.33bn | 2024/25 | £0.12m |
2025/26 | £0.29bn | 2025/26 | £0.35bn | 2026-27 | £0.40m |
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on contracts with (a) Serco, (b) Capita and (c) G4S in each of the past three years.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The table below sets out the department’s expenditure on contracts with Capita group companies and Serco in the 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. Figures for 2026/27 are to 3 November 2026.
The department recorded no expenditure on contracts with G4S during this period.
Supplier | Contract | 2024/25 financial year | 2025/26 financial year | 2026/27 financial year |
Capita Business Services Ltd | CON_10145 2021 Full Induction Programme cohort of the National Roll-Out of the Early Career Framework | £277.73 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
CON_12594 Turing Scheme Administration Services | £1,426,638.44 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
CON_14127 2022 cohort of the Early Career Framework | £210,913.60 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
CON_18207 Flexible Working Programme | £187,749.48 | £202,236.06 | £0.00 | |
CON_2001 TPS Administration Services contract 2011-2025 | £13,283,118.42 | £39,020,732.31 | £28,633,334.16 | |
Capita Employee Benefits Ltd | CON_2001 TPS Administration Services contract 2011-2025 | £19,826,129.15 | £4,555,613.14 | £0.00 |
Capita PLC | CON_2001 TPS Administration Services contract 2011-2025 | £2,876,314.46 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
Serco Ltd | CON_30914 L4 Bursary Pilot for Delivery of L4 Diploma in School Business Management | £0.00 | £88,400.00 | £0.00 |
| Total | £37,811,141.28 | £43,866,981.51 | £28,633,334.16 |
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 steps he is taking with the private sector to set up more farming and horticulture apprenticeships.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are a number of apprenticeship standards available to support the farming and horticulture sector, including the Level 2 General Farm Worker standard and the Level 2 Horticulture or Landscape Construction Operative.
We are transforming the Apprenticeship Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by over £1 billion of additional investment. This will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, give employers across all sectors, including farming and horticulture, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need, and support the industrial strategy.
To create apprenticeship opportunities for young people, we are now fully funding apprenticeships for all eligible young people aged under 25 and have introduced a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers (who are typically SMEs) that recruit apprentices aged under 25. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.
Alongside this, the Government is investing £240 million to pilot enhanced local apprenticeship services across all 14 Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs). The programme will help more young people aged 16-24, including those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), to access apprenticeship opportunities while supporting employers to recruit local talent.
The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN), which comprises around 2,000 employers and apprentices who actively volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England through nine regional networks which provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants employed by her Department have had a job title which includes social media in each of the last three years.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Social media allows the government to explain policy directly to the public in clear language and in the places people already engage. The total number of departmental staff with ‘social media’ in their job title in the last three years is as follows:
2024: 2 staff
2025: 2 staff
2026: 3 staff.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on contracts with (a) Serco, (b) Capita and (c) G4S in each of the past three years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Spend with Serco, Capita and G4S over FY 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 was:
Supplier | FY 23-24 | FY 24-25 | FY 25-26 |
Serco Ltd | £897,318,273 | £735,897,789 | £739,415,815 |
Capita Business Services Ltd | £2,105,359 | £1,506,135 | £534,991 |
Capita Resourcing Ltd | £1,078,238 |
|
|
G4S Cash Solutions Ltd | £761,053 | £1,100,660 | £1,210,695 |
G4S Secure Solutions (UK) Ltd | £49,064 | £27,656 | £559 |
G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Ltd |
|
| £70,212 |
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the cost to the public purse has been of her Department's proposed Local government reorganisation policy since its inception.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government provided a total of £7.6m in 25/26 to support the 21 areas undergoing local government reorganisation to develop proposals.
£63 million in capacity funding has been announced for all areas covered by the review. £2.1m has been paid to Surrey, where new councils will take on responsibilities from April 2027. Initial payments to all other invitation areas have been guaranteed and will be made in the coming weeks.
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 she is taking to ensure that secondary schools in Lincolnshire ensure students are aware of vocational and technical qualifications.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is strengthening careers guidance so that all young people understand the full range of academic, vocational and technical routes available.
Schools have legal duties to provide independent careers guidance and give pupils at least six opportunities to hear directly from apprenticeship and technical education providers. Statutory guidance makes clear that these encounters should form part of a progressive careers programme, with information provided before key choices at ages 14, 16 and 18.
The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company and careers hubs to connect schools with employers and training providers. All secondary schools and colleges in Greater Lincolnshire are part of the local careers hub, ensuring that pupils across Lincolnshire benefit from this support. Through its Boosting Skills Pathway Programme, the hub works with construction employers and the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network to raise pupils’ awareness of vocational and technical qualifications, develop employability skills and connect pupils with apprenticeship opportunities.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve rail connectivity on Sundays between Peterborough and Spalding.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The December 2025 timetable increased services between Lincoln and Peterborough via Spalding to hourly from Monday to Saturday, improving connectivity for passengers using this route. While there are no current proposals to extend this service to Sundays between Peterborough and Spalding, the Department continues to work with operators as timetables develop in response to passenger demand. Any future changes would also need to take account of staffing and rolling stock requirements, engineering access and value for money.