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, whether her Department has considered age restrictions on the sale of catapults and slingshots.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government shares the concern about the use of catapults against wildlife, people or property. We are aware of catapults being an issue in some areas of the country, and there are a range of laws in place that can be used against individuals who use catapults in this way.
Where a catapult is used to harm animals, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 provide the police with powers to deal with deliberate attempts to kill, injure or inflict harm on wildlife. It is also an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal any unnecessary suffering.
Under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953, if a person carries an offensive weapon in a public place or threatens a person with an offensive weapon, they may face up to four years in prison. The definition of an ‘offensive weapon’ may include a catapult depending on the circumstances of the case.
The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 also provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour including that involving catapults. This includes Community Protection Warnings and Notices (CPWs and CPNs), and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) which can be used to prevent behaviour that is having, or likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we have increased the upper limit for a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for breaches of a PSPO or a CPN from £100 to £500 and this will come into force from 26 October 2026.
A roundtable was held in June this year with Members of Parliament and stakeholders to discuss the misuse of catapults. The Government is now working with the police to ensure that existing legislation is used consistently and effectively. We have noted the proposals for new restrictions, including age restrictions on the sale of catapults, and we are actively considering what more might be done around enforcement.
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 much HM Prison and Probation Service spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Language Services Spoken Language – His Majesty’s Prison Service and the Probation Service
Year | Total |
2022 | £903,265.64 |
2023 | £1,142,286.27 |
2024 | £1,249,088.25 |
2025 | £1,331,246.67 |
Language Services Translation &Transcription – His Majesty’s Prison Service and the Probation Service
Year | Total |
2022 | £1,084,376.59 |
2023 | £1,399,698.16 |
2024 | £1,990,179.02 |
2025 | £1,961,941.58 |
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 the Disclosure and Barring Service spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Over the four years in question, the Disclosure & Barring Service spent £89,916.02 on interpreters and related translation services (including British Sign Language interpretation and translation plus other deafness support).
This breaks down as £16,413.69 in 2022; £24,730.10 in 2023; £21,093.70 in 2024; and £27,678.53 in 2025.
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, what steps her Department is taking to help support the financial viability of (a) farming businesses and (b) food manufacturing business in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is backing farm profitability through £11.8 billion for sustainable farming and food production, including investment in productivity and innovation.
Currently, 198 customers in the constituency have live CS or SFI agreements.
The Farming Roadmap sets out how Government will support farmers to cut costs, access markets and build resilient businesses.
The Government also recognises the importance of food manufacturing to local economies and is working with industry to strengthen supply-chain resilience, address dependencies including energy, water, labour, transport and essential inputs, and support investment, productivity and growth.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Maritime and Coastguard Agency spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Financial Year | Amount |
2022 | £ 3,929.82 |
2023 | £ 16,081.70 |
2024 | £ 10,189.26 |
2025 | £ 13,409.97 |
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 steps she is taking to ensure adult hospices are sustainably funded in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 July in response to Question 16185, which sets out the steps that the Government is taking to support hospices throughout England.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The information requested can be found in the tables below.
Translation
FY | Spend |
FY22/23 | £393,566.21 |
FY23/24 | £589,212.67 |
FY24/25 | £641,494.83 |
FY25/26 | £546,422.61 |
Interpreting
FY | Spend |
FY22/23 | £590,484.28 |
FY23/24 | £602,185.23 |
FY24/25 | £596,363.74 |
FY25/26 | £584,199.35 |
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 steps she is taking to help reduce housefires in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government’s Fire Kills national advertising campaign provides clear, practical advice to help residents prevent fires in their homes and respond safely if a fire occurs. This year focuses on the need to have sufficient smoke alarms in the home. The campaign supports fire and rescue services, including Lincolnshire, to deliver their statutory duty to promote fire safety through local fire prevention activity.
MHCLG supports work with the National Fire Chiefs Council to provide a nationally consistent approach to Home Fire Safety Visits across services, tailoring each intervention to the individuals within a particular home. This is augmented with a free online home fire safety check tool, which provides people with fire safety advice tailored to their household and property.
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 the museum sector in Lincolnshire.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 22 September to Question HL2877.
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 the UK Health Security Agency spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held in the format requested.