Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that policing capacity is maintained in areas experiencing (a) increased community demand and (b) a reduction in policing numbers.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring police forces are supported to tackle crime effectively. As part of our mission to deliver safer streets, we will restore neighbourhood policing and support forces to rebuild relationships with their local communities.
The 2025-26 final police funding settlement provided funding of up to £19.6 billion for the policing system in England and Wales. This is an overall increase of up to £1.2 billion when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.
This includes a total of up to £376.8 million specifically to support forces to achieve officer headcounts set out in the Police Funding Settlement and £200m to kick start the growth in neighbourhood policing personnel.
It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reducing the number of police community support officers in Cheshire on levels of crime in that area.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s Safer Streets Mission sets a clear expectation for policing to deliver safer communities and improved public confidence. An effective, well-supported police service is central to achieving this.
Based on their £3,009,490 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Cheshire Police is projected to grow by 48 FTE neighbourhood police officers in 2025-26.
It is for Chief Constables and directly elected PCCs, and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how best to allocate the resources at their disposal to provide an effective service to local communities.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments she has made of trends in the levels of recruitment and retention in Cheshire Police; and how many officers have (a) left and (b) joined the force since July 2024.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Forces are expected to manage their recruitment and retention activities to ensure that they meet officer headcount targets linked to funding arrangements set out in the Police Funding Settlement.
Data on joiners and leavers is published annually in July, including data for the previous year to 31 March. For the last full year that data is available (April 2024 to March 2025) Cheshire Police saw an increase in joiners of 17.1% (178 full time equivalents) alongside an increase in leavers of 4.5% (7 full time equivalents).
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of poultry and egg imports from Ukraine on the UK market following the extension of tariff free access in February 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
Ukrainian imports of poultry and eggs currently constitute a small proportion of the UK’s total imports of these products. We consistently consider the views of industry and impact of imports on the UK market from all countries, including from Ukraine. We will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I introduced the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill on 14 October – a significant step in fulfilling our commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act.
The Bill received its Second Reading yesterday, and I look forward to continued debate and scrutiny as it progresses through Parliament.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to create a pathway for NHS (a) diagnosis and (b) care for (i) hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and (ii) hypermobility spectrum disorders.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population, including for those with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
The 10-Year Health Plan for England will improve services for people with EDS and other long-term conditions by shifting care to the community with neighbourhood teams, expanding access to physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and using digital innovation to help patients self-manage and receive more integrated, personalised care. This approach aims to provide more proactive and accessible support by bringing services closer to home and making it easier for patients to access the help they need.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Emma Reynolds MP received any correspondence from the (a) Treasury and (b) the Cabinet office on the (i) timetable, (ii) options and (iii) modelling for inheritance tax changes since 1 July 2024.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury Ministers routinely receive briefings and information on an extensive range of subjects relating to the department’s responsibilities and their specific portfolios. As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury’s portfolio of responsibilities includes inheritance tax. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has not been the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. She was Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury and the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 July 2024 to 14 January 2025. She was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 14 January 2025 to 5 September 2025.HM Treasury Ministers also discuss a range of subjects with Ministers from all other departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any (a) written briefings, (b) submissions, and (c) minutes on inheritance tax changes were (i) sent to and (ii) copied to Emma Reynolds MP since 1 July 2024.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury Ministers routinely receive briefings and information on an extensive range of subjects relating to the department’s responsibilities and their specific portfolios. As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury’s portfolio of responsibilities includes inheritance tax. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has not been the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. She was Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury and the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 July 2024 to 14 January 2025. She was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 14 January 2025 to 5 September 2025.HM Treasury Ministers also discuss a range of subjects with Ministers from all other departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the UK-EU reset agreement, whether her Department has undertaken a cost benefit analysis in relation to its agreement to extend the fisheries arrangements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK-EU Summit Deal announced on 19 May secures the continuation of current UK-EU fishing access arrangements. This means continued access for UK vessels to EU waters, worth £80m annually, and retention of the quota uplift the UK secured through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. That boost, worth £175m in fishing opportunities in 2025, remains fully in place under the new deal. We have also secured a new SPS Agreement, which could add up to £5.1bn a year to our economy in the long run. The latest fisheries access agreement should therefore not be viewed in isolation. The benefits to the fisheries sector arise not only from the access provisions themselves but also from the SPS Agreement, which will increase opportunities for UK seafood exporters. Taken together, these provisions support growth, stability, and new opportunities for the UK’s fishing industry. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has conducted analysis on the impact of various fishing arrangements to the UK, relative to the years 2021-2025.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the financial resilience of Thames Water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our current assessment is that the company remains financially stable. The Government has stepped up our preparations and stands ready for all eventualities, including applying for a SAR if that were to become necessary. The Government will continue to work with the economic regulator of the water industry Ofwat to help support a market led solution to the company’s issues of financial resilience and operational delivery, which is in the interests of customers and the environment.