Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when negotiations will commence with the EU on the proposed sanitary and phytosanitary agreement particularly with a view to permitting the export of bull semen from the UK to the EU.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We are aiming to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027, subject to discussion with the EU.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) prevent future major wildfires, and (2) ensure fire and rescue services are adequately equipped to control those that do occur.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As the lead government department for wildfire, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) maintains regular engagement with a range of other government departments, operational partners and key stakeholders to monitor and review sector led improvements and mitigations. This includes The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Cabinet Office, along with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF)

Since 2024, the Government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor to assess what additional wildfire national capabilities might be needed to increase resilience to the wildfire risk and to ensure coordination of approaches across the sector. MHCLG also supports fire and rescue authorities in responding to incidents by providing national resilience capabilities, including High Volume Pumps (HVP).

At a local level, each fire and rescue authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), and having regard to the views of other key local responders.

The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 3 February, sets out funding allocations for all local authorities, including Fire and Rescue Authorities. Standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities will see an increase in core spending power of £69.1m in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority.

The Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need to protect communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of cases of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a family member, and what steps they are taking to ensure such cases are reported and justice is delivered.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

We know that most abuse is perpetrated by someone known to the victim. The Office for National Statistics published data from its Crime Survey for England and Wales in relation to child sexual abuse. The survey found that most abuse was perpetrated by someone known to the victim. Just over a third (35%) reported abuse by a family member taken as a: mother, father, step-parent, carer/guardian, or other family member.

Furthermore, 37% of those who had been a victim of contact sexual abuse said it had happened in their own home, and a further 40% in someone else’s home. This broadly aligns with data from IICSA’s Truth Project where 42% of victims and survivors who shared their experience said the abuse happened in the family home.

The Government is taking swift, decisive action to address all form of child sexual abuse and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. As part of this, we recognise the need to improve how safeguarding agencies protect and support children at risk of sexual abuse within the family home.

We have committed to implementing the seven recommendations from the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s review into child sexual abuse in the family environment. In doing so, we will:

• Implement new standards for child and family social work practice, placing greater emphasis on child protection, through delivering a national rollout of a new social work induction programme for all those entering the profession.
• Develop new standards and training for advanced child protection social work to build expertise and help embed lead child protection practitioner roles.
• Develop specialist child sexual abuse and exploitation training for social workers and other key members of the children’s services workforce, including family help workers.
• Commission two Practice Guides for leaders and practitioners on how to prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation and how to support victims.
• Legislate for multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs) to strengthen multi- agency working and decision making.
• Make any necessary amendments to Working Together 2023 at its next update, which includes clear guidance on multi-agency child protection expectations and standards, as well as on section 47 enquiries and other child protection processes.
• Deliver the national roll out of family help and child protection reforms from April 2025, supported by guidance which includes expectations around multi- agency leadership, practice and information, including in the child protection system.
• Improve multi-agency information sharing, including through introducing provision for a single unique identifier for children and information sharing duty that provides a clear legal basis to share information for the purposes of safeguarding.
• Work with NHS England and public health commissioners to audit pathways and services for child sexual abuse victims within relevant health settings.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill we are introducing a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse. It will require anyone taking part in relevant activity with children in England (such as teachers, healthcare professionals and sports coaches) to report to the authorities if they are made aware that a child is being sexually abused.

The new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection launched in April 2025 will improve the police response to child protection and violence against women and girls.

We have committed further funding to the independent Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to improve the ability of professionals in policing, health, local authorities, and multi-agency partnerships, to identify and respond effectively to all forms of child sexual abuse through the provision of evidence-based training and practice resources.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to (1) farms, (2) livestock, and (3) biodiversity, posed by the Langdale Moor wildfire.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No such assessment has been made.

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