Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of delays in fitting electronic tags on released offenders; and if he will consider the potential merits of immediate tagging upon release.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Electronic Monitoring field and monitoring provider has consistently met equipment installation visit requirements since January 2026. August and September performance remain subject to usual operational assurance checks. Tagging prisoners before they leave prison has been successfully trialled in six prisons and is being rolled out nationally starting later this year.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, dated 24 June 2026, which grants for the business events growth programme and related funds were allocated to BTA for the purpose of growing business events in the last five years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS recognises the economic contribution of business events, which facilitate trade and investment, support jobs and generate visitor spending across the UK. The UK’s business event sector is thriving and receives support from a number of national and local sources.
DCMS provides the British Tourist Authority (BTA) with funding each year to deliver an agreed set of objectives which the BTA allocates across a range of priority areas where it can most add value. Funding is also provided from the GREAT programme for international marketing.
From 2021/22 to 2025/26, BTA allocated approximately £1.25m of funding annually to support business events. In 2026/27, BTA reprioritised funding to avoid duplication with VisitScotland and VisitWales and to support smaller businesses to attend international trade shows. MeetEngland’s budget this year of £300,000 accounts for around 20% of VisitEngland’s core operational budget for 26/27.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, dated 24 June 2026, what funding was (a) allocated for and (b) provided to the British Tourism Authority's Business Events Growth Programme in the last five financial years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS recognises the economic contribution of business events, which facilitate trade and investment, support jobs and generate visitor spending across the UK. The UK’s business event sector is thriving and receives support from a number of national and local sources.
DCMS provides the British Tourist Authority (BTA) with funding each year to deliver an agreed set of objectives which the BTA allocates across a range of priority areas where it can most add value. Funding is also provided from the GREAT programme for international marketing.
From 2021/22 to 2025/26, BTA allocated approximately £1.25m of funding annually to support business events. In 2026/27, BTA reprioritised funding to avoid duplication with VisitScotland and VisitWales and to support smaller businesses to attend international trade shows. MeetEngland’s budget this year of £300,000 accounts for around 20% of VisitEngland’s core operational budget for 26/27.
Asked by: Sojan Joseph (Labour - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to encourage employers in Kent to hire more apprentices.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and give employers, including in Kent, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need to grow and succeed.
As of August, the Government now fully funds apprenticeship training for all eligible under 25s for employers of all sizes.
To support non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) to meet the additional costs associated with employing young people, we have introduced a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 when they take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant.
We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care.
These payments can be added together where the employer and/or apprentice are eligible.
The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises around 3,000 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England, including in Kent, through nine regional networks which provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Sentencing Act 2026 on the healthcare treatment of offenders who commit minor crimes.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Sentencing Act 2026 will reduce the use of short custodial sentences and expand the use of community-based disposals where appropriate. This creates opportunities to strengthen routes into treatment pathways, including diverting people with mental health, drug and alcohol needs away from the criminal justice system where appropriate.
The Ministry of Justice is working closely with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), who are responsible for healthcare services in the community, to maximise the impact of the available treatment offer, targeting support where it can have the greatest impact.
Liaison and Diversion services play a vital role ensuring that when people first encounter the justice system, they can be referred into appropriate health or social care pathways to ensure they receive the right support from the first point of contact. In parallel, we are working closely with health partners to increase the use and effectiveness of Community Sentence Treatment Requirements, tackling the root causes of offending behaviour through structured treatment.
We are also launching an additional seven Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), which provide an alternative to short custodial sentences by keeping eligible offenders in the community with wraparound support, including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health support and judicial oversight.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to Question 20451, how many working class civil servants have been recruited under the scheme.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Civil Service (CS) Masterclasses received accreditation as a formal life chances scheme at the end of January 2025. The CS Masterclasses offers a 2-week face to face programme for individuals from areas of lower social mobility. The scheme is designed to recruit individuals who would typically face barriers when applying for Civil Service roles and focuses on enhancing social mobility for the Civil Service.
Since then, we have run 15 cohorts; 10 in Liverpool City Region and 5 in Greater Manchester.
359 people who completed the CS Masterclass are now either in a Civil Service post (301) or currently being onboarded into the Civil Service (58). The departments who have recruited through this scheme are DBS, DWP, HMCTS, Home Office, and MHCLG.
Asked by: Lord Davies of Brixton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the publication of the State Pension uprating analysis on 29 September and its conclusion that the new state pension will reach a record high relative to earnings over the coming three years, how that conclusion was reached, including (1) the assumptions made about future earnings growth, (2) the assumptions made about future increases in the consumer price index and average earnings over the relevant period, and (3) the basis on which those assumptions were made.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Historical average earnings growth and the Consumer Prices Index used in the analysis are consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s economic assumptions published at the Spring Statement 2026.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many departmental Senior Civil Service away days have taken place in calendar year 2026 to date; in what specific venues; at what cost; and if there was any associated social or team-building activity at public expense.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Between 1 January 2026 and 1 October 2026, DCMS held two Senior Civil Service (SCS) away days, each for half a day.
An SCS away day took place at the British Museum on 18 March 2026. No costs were involved for hiring the venue. The cost involved was £1,996.80.
On 14 July 2026, an SCS away day took place at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. No costs were involved for hiring the venue. We have not yet received an invoice for any other costs but expect one for refreshments.
Asked by: Katie Lam (Conservative - Weald of Kent)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2026 to Question 11667 on MHCLG: Remote Working, whether office attendance data for staff in the London HQ is collated in the same manner and shown in a centralised dashboard.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Attendance data for MHCLG staff based in the London HQ is collated through the same centralised system used for wider attendance reporting. While the data is collated through the same centralised system, the London HQ attendance information is not displayed within the published dashboard.
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, how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department were on permanent home working contracts in 2025.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
During the 2025 calendar year, 4,475 individuals were directly employed on the Department's payroll at some point. Of these, 147 (3.3%) were on home-working contracts.