The GPA does not provide tampons within toilets designated solely for male use within those buildings on its portfolio where it provides Facilities Management services.

It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment, on grounds of both national security and staff safety, on the physical capacity or staffing numbers for individual buildings of the government estate.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) and the Office for Government Property (OGP) work closely to ensure the government estate is efficient, sustainable, and fit for purpose.

(a) In respect of the Government Property Agency (GPA), there is no prescribed policy dictating a mandatory staff-to-desk ratio. Instead, the GPA utilises the Architecture Handbook (an annex of the Government Workplace Design Guide) that provides guidance for designers. Rather than strict policy, the handbook provides guidance regarding the ratio of desks and other workpoints. Implementation relies heavily on individual building configurations and department working styles to determine the appropriate provision of workpoints in a given building/project.

It should be noted that this guidance applies primarily to new-build projects or significant refurbishments. In the case of the GPA’s inherited estate, the GPA inherits and maintains the existing workplace arrangements of the client department until such time as a significant refurbishment is undertaken.

The GPA does not dictate workspace usage ratios to its client departments; workspace design is delivered in collaboration with client departments and workpoint allocation is determined based on ways-of-working and occupancy ratios.

(b) Within government functional standard GovS 004, Property, there is no stated policy in respect to space utilisation in the office estate portfolio. Space utilisation in the government office portfolio was previously managed towards a target of no more than 8 sqm per person (FTE). Space standards are set out in the Government Workplace Design Guide and are more flexible, with an emphasis on productivity, environmental quality and suitability for changing work patterns.

I refer the Hon Member to pages 180 to 181 of the Treasury Minutes Progress Report dated June 2026, available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a2008d6d40a060bb9809cdc/Treasury_Minutes_Progress_Report_Accessible.pdf

The programme business case is also scheduled to be published on the GOV.UK website later this year.

The UK Health Security Agency engages regularly with Harlow Council regarding the delivery of the Health Security Campus in Harlow.

The Department's London headquarters, 39 Victoria Street, provides 882 desks for 2,090 assigned staff, representing a desk provision of 42.2%. This equates to approximately one desk for every 2.4 staff members.

NHS England’s London headquarters, Wellington House, provides 1,294 desks for 2,092 assigned staff, representing a desk provision of 61.9%. This equates to approximately one desk for every 1.6 staff members.

Across the whole NHS England office portfolio, there are 5,315 desks for 11,470 assigned staff, representing a desk provision of 46.3%. This equates to approximately one desk for every 2.2 staff members.

Government does not prescribe a minimum separation between occupied buildings, such as homes and offices, and electricity transmission lines or battery energy storage units. However, for battery energy storage units Planning Practice Guidance advises applicants and planning authorities to consider National Fire Chiefs Council guidance, which recommends an initial 30-metre distance before mitigations are considered. For electricity transmission lines appropriate separation distances are determined on a case-by-case basis through compliance with applicable safety requirements, relevant planning and consenting considerations, and site-specific assessments.

Transmission operators (TOs) plan their projects in line with the Security and Quality of Supply Standard, which sets criteria for the safe operation of the National Electricity Transmission System. TOs also have regard to the Electricity Transmission Design Principles which includes principles for safe siting.

Siting must comply with Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002, which sets requirements such as the height, position and insulation of overhead lines. British Standards for overhead line design are based on IEC/EN international standards.

TOs must also comply with International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines on exposure to electric and magnetic fields.

Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, and announced a major expansion of community mental health support, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres (CMHCs) and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).

CMHCs provide a single, open-access offer, available 24/7 to anyone who needs it. People with serious mental illness will be able to walk in without an appointment and receive mental health support, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team. This will reduce fragmentation in service delivery and improve continuity of care. Working in partnership with primary care, local authorities, the voluntary sector and family support networks, and with strong links to housing and employment support, the centres will deliver care close to home, tailored to local communities of between 30,000 and 50,000 people.

Alongside the community centres, MHEDs will provide fast, same-day access to specialist mental health support for people in crisis. Co-located with emergency departments, ambulance, and police services, they will offer a calm, therapeutic environment and ensure people are connected quickly to the right ongoing care, whether through inpatient admission, home treatment, or community support. In both cases, CMHCs and MHEDs will draw on the existing NHS workforce, including redeployment of staff to the new locations.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are rightly responsible for selecting locations for new facilities to make sure they meet local needs best, with schemes prioritised through regional and ICB processes before being subject to national assurance. The overall distribution of MHEDs and CMHCs was considered alongside factors such as population need, existing provision, local care pathways, strategic alignment, and deliverability. Local systems also remain responsible for ensuring that people can access emergency mental health support through the broader care pathway, including A&E units, crisis services, and other locally commissioned provision.

The first facilities in this tranche are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027. Further details will be set out in due course as the new centres are rolled out across England. Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.

Since coming to office, this Government has recruited thousands of extra mental health staff, increased access to National Health Service talking therapies, and announced a major expansion of community mental health support, with £187 million allocated for 100 community mental health centres (CMHCs) and £156 million for 59 mental health emergency departments (MHEDs).

CMHCs provide a single, open-access offer, available 24/7 to anyone who needs it. People with serious mental illness will be able to walk in without an appointment and receive mental health support, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team. This will reduce fragmentation in service delivery and improve continuity of care. Working in partnership with primary care, local authorities, the voluntary sector and family support networks, and with strong links to housing and employment support, the centres will deliver care close to home, tailored to local communities of between 30,000 and 50,000 people.

Alongside the community centres, MHEDs will provide fast, same-day access to specialist mental health support for people in crisis. Co-located with emergency departments, ambulance, and police services, they will offer a calm, therapeutic environment and ensure people are connected quickly to the right ongoing care, whether through inpatient admission, home treatment, or community support. In both cases, CMHCs and MHEDs will draw on the existing NHS workforce, including redeployment of staff to the new locations.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are rightly responsible for selecting locations for new facilities to make sure they meet local needs best, with schemes prioritised through regional and ICB processes before being subject to national assurance. The overall distribution of MHEDs and CMHCs was considered alongside factors such as population need, existing provision, local care pathways, strategic alignment, and deliverability. Local systems also remain responsible for ensuring that people can access emergency mental health support through the broader care pathway, including A&E units, crisis services, and other locally commissioned provision.

The first facilities in this tranche are expected to open from autumn 2026, with further sites opening from March 2027. Further details will be set out in due course as the new centres are rolled out across England. Later this year, we will also publish our new mental health strategy for England, setting out our plans to transform mental health care into a system that responds earlier, reduces waiting times for support, intervenes earlier, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life.

The department takes periods of hot weather and heatwaves seriously and has published a climate risk assessment on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-uk-climate-change-risk-on-the-delivery-of-education/summary-of-findings-in-relation-to-3-climate-risks-overheating-flooding-and-water-scarcity.

The department publishes non-statutory guidance on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools in Building Bulletin 101, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings. There are no plans to update this guidance.

The department has recently launched a new construction framework and updated design standards, setting out requirements for all new and refurbished school buildings delivered by the department in England, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-standards-employers-requirements. These standards are separate to Building Bulletin 101. They cover overheating risk assessments which account for rising temperatures associated with climate change, as well as external shading, cross ventilation and the use of cooling through ground source heat pumps.

The Army has assessed caretaker staffing requirements through the Army Caretaker Review, which considered the ongoing requirement for civilian caretaker roles across the Reserve and University Officers Training Corps estate.

The review found that sites could be maintained through alternative arrangements, including facilities management contracts and security systems.

No costs have been incurred. Leeds is already the Department’s second headquarters where it has a significant and long-standing presence.

What progress his Department has made on replacing the water main serving the Onley Park Estate.

I absolutely recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s concerns. As I have said, the projected programme should be with him by November. He will appreciate that there are important value for money considerations, and we also need to ensure we get the project right. It is expected to be a year long once it commences—by January 2027—but if he still requires a meeting, I would of course be happy to facilitate one.

The Minister will know that Onley Park is still owned by the Ministry of Justice. Although I welcome the funding, these residents have been waiting years, and frankly they are really worried—we have still not got a start date or clarity around backdated bills, and the situation is affecting house sales now. Will the Minister meet me and representatives of the parish council, so that we can provide some clarity and a resolution for the residents of Onley Park?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The right hon. Gentleman, himself a former Prisons Minister and a highly regarded former shadow Secretary of State, has raised this issue assiduously on behalf of his constituents. The project to replace a water main serving the Onley Park estate is progressing through design and development, with a projected programme expected in November.