First elected: 12th December 2019
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Decriminalise Abortion
Gov Responded - 23 Dec 2024 Debated on - 2 Jun 2025 View Carla Lockhart's petition debate contributionsI am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion.
Don't change inheritance tax relief for working farms
Gov Responded - 5 Dec 2024 Debated on - 10 Feb 2025 View Carla Lockhart's petition debate contributionsWe think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.
These initiatives were driven by Carla Lockhart, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Carla Lockhart has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Carla Lockhart has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Carla Lockhart has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
High Income Child Benefit Charge (report to Parliament) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Jim Shannon (DUP)
Social Media Platforms (Identity Verification) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Siobhan Baillie (Con)
Digital Devices (Access for Next of Kin) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Ian Paisley (DUP)
Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Jim Shannon (DUP)
The Windsor Framework established a broad set of arrangements to support businesses to move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including to small- and medium- sized businesses based in Northern Ireland.
On 1 May 2025, we introduced under the Windsor Framework important new arrangements for freight and parcels movements to guarantee that goods can continue to move smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, ensuring that goods sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty.
As set out in our Common Understanding, the Government will take forward a new UK-EU SPS Agreement, and this will further simplify the movement of agri-food goods within the United Kingdom. As a result, we expect there will no longer be a need for SPS paperwork when moving agrifood or plant products and the requirement to label goods ‘not for EU’ will diminish significantly.
The Government works closely with industry stakeholders and trade associations on the implementation of these arrangements and will continue to do so.
The Business Growth Service and the broader SME Strategy, to be published later this year, will help small businesses including in Northern Ireland, grow, innovate and thrive.
The Government is committed to supporting small businesses across the UK, including Northern Ireland. As a result for example, 320 SMEs in Northern Ireland - 3% of the national total, have benefited from the Help to Grow: Management (HTGM) programme, as of 31 March 2025.
Invest Northern Ireland (InvestNI), the national counterpart to the Business Support Service, offers extensive support in areas such as Entrepreneurship, Exports and Funding. In 2024 –25, InvestNI backed 726 Innovation and R&D projects representing £245m in investment.
In November 2023, the Department for Education published a report showing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on areas within the UK labour market and education The impact of AI on UK jobs and training - GOV.UK. The report noted that professional occupations are more exposed to AI, particularly those associated with more clerical work and across finance, law and business management roles.
The government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the government is reforming the skills system. The government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs.
AI has the potential to bring significant benefits to legal professionals by automating routine work, allowing them to focus on matters of higher value and interest. AI and lawtech is also creating new jobs within the profession, such as legal technologists and tech developers.
Supporting the safe adoption of AI in legal services is essential to ensuring the sector remains world leading. The Ministry of Justice does this via LawtechUK, a grant funded industry led programme created to support the development of lawtech. Across the past year LawtechUK has hosted a series on Generative AI, brining experts in law, technology, and regulation to explore the benefits of AI and how to mitigate any risks.
The current regulatory framework is designed to support people to enjoy fireworks whilst lowering the risk of dangers and disruption to people, pets, and property. The Government recently launched an awareness campaign on the Gov.uk website to provide guidance on minimising the impacts of fireworks on people and animals.
To inform any future decisions on the legislative framework, the Government intends to engage with stakeholders to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks.
Moyle is a point-to-point interconnector that has been in operation since 2002. It is a commercially developed interconnector and operates without government financial support.
On future interconnection between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ofgem gave in-principle approval in November 2024 for the proposed LirIC electricity interconnector. This project is being taken forward under the Ofgem cap and floor regulatory regime.
Whilst energy policy and electricity system resilience of Northern Ireland remains a devolved competence for the Northern Ireland Executive, the Department has maintained a close working relationship with the Department for the Economy to support them in managing energy security.
The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers, including vulnerable individuals, permanently. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.
However, we recognise the need to support vulnerable households struggling with their bills as we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we delivered the £150 Warm Home Discount to around 3 million households last winter. In February, we published a consultation to expand the Warm Home Discount to bring an extra 2.7 million households into the scheme, which would push the total number of eligible households up to around 6 million households from next winter. The consultation has now closed, and the Department is evaluating responses.
I urge any vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills to contact their supplier, local authority, or Citizens Advice to see what support they can receive.
Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network. Network operators have completed a significant number of improvements to the resilience of Great Britain’s electricity network which means the electricity system is in a much better place to mitigate power disruption during extreme weather events such as Storm Darragh and Storm Eowyn. The Energy Emergencies Executive Committee (E3C) work to identify lessons after all large energy incidents to ensure continuous improvement to the network. E3C will work with network operators in Northern Ireland as part of this process to ensure, where necessary, improvements are made across the UK.
Cyber security is a priority for the government. We are taking action to protect businesses, citizens and essential services against cyber threats. The forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will improve the UK’s cyber defences and ensure there are robust levels of cyber security in the digital services and infrastructure which small businesses and local authorities rely upon.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers a range of free guidance, training and tools to help small businesses improve their cyber resilience, including the Cyber Action Plan, Small Business Guide and Check Your Cyber Security Tool. The government’s highly effective Cyber Essentials scheme is available to help small businesses and local authorities get good technical measures in place which prevent common cyber attacks. Local authorities can use the Cyber Governance Code of Practice to manage their digital risks. The Northern Ireland Cyber Security Centre (NICSC), part of the Department of Finance, works in close partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to advance a variety of cyber initiatives aimed at strengthening cyber resilience among small businesses and local authorities across Northern Ireland.
Government departments work together on a range of online safety matters, with child online safety and wellbeing being a particular priority.
The Online Safety Act gives user-to-user and search services new duties to safeguard children from illegal content and activity, including child sexual abuse material and harmful content. Platforms’ duties to tackle illegal content began in March.
The child safety duties will be fully in force from 25 July and require providers to establish significant protections for children, including requiring services to consider how algorithms and recommender systems impact children’s exposure to both illegal and harmful content.
The Secretary of State has not held meetings with the Northern Ireland Space Office on this topic, however regional growth is key to this Government's growth mission. Regional growth programmes, including for Northern Ireland, are therefore a priority for this Government.
The UK Space Agency works closely with the Northern Ireland Space Office to support the development of the region's space sector. Northern Ireland Space Office is a delivery partner of the Ecosystem Development Programme, which promotes regional strengths, attracts investment, and manages the local space cluster.
The Secretary of State has not held specific discussions with the UK Space Agency on Northern Ireland's space ecosystem, however Ministers receive advice from officials as required on a wide range of topics, including regional growth.
The UK Space Agency supports regional growth, including in Northern Ireland, as a priority. UKSA has supported the Northern Ireland's space ecosystem through the Unlocking Space for Government programme, by funding a Northern Ireland-led project to explore how satellite data can improve public services in health, infrastructure, and the environment. UKSA has also delivered two Small Business Research Initiatives in partnership with Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) focused on detecting harmful algal blooms using satellite technology.
Cyber security is a priority for the government. We are taking action to protect businesses, citizens and essential services against cyber threats. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers a range of free cyber security training, including a free online module for small organisations called ‘Top Tips For Staff’, a cyber incident management training package called ‘Exercise in a Box’, and training for boards and directors as part of the government’s cyber governance package to help organisations manage digital risks.
Cyber security training is also widely available on a commercial basis, including in Northern Ireland where there is a successful, growing cyber security sector with 128 cyber security providers supporting over £237 million direct GVA to the local economy and employing over 2,750 people.
SMEs are also encouraged to take advantage of the NCSC’s Small Business Guide to improve their resilience, and to create a Cyber Action Plan for a personalised list of actions to help businesses improve their cyber security.
All civil servants are trained in appropriate information management practices for handling sensitive or classified information. We draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform our AI usage. For example the AI Playbook for the UK Government, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, and the generative AI framework on GOV.UK which includes a section on using generative AI safely and responsibly.
OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE information can safely be included in prompts to AI tools that are hosted within the DSIT IT eco-system, or by providers with whom the department has an agreement in place around the secure processing of such data. For example, DSIT has an enterprise agreement with Microsoft to provide all staff with secure access to Copilot Chat and 1,500 staff with licenses to the cross-government Microsoft 365 Copilot experiment. Additional tool-specific guidance is provided to individuals at the point-of-use.
The Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK's telecommunications infrastructure. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 introduced a robust security framework throughout the United Kingdom and requires public telecoms providers to identify, reduce, and prepare for security and resilience risks, including ransomware attacks. Ofcom is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with this framework. The Government keeps its telecoms security and resilience policies under constant review to ensure evolving risks to UK telecommunications networks are effectively mitigated.
DCMS ministers have recently met with both Church representatives and Historic England, however discussions have not covered the specific issue of increasing flexibility in the renovation and adaptation of listed churches for community use and accessibility improvements.
Through the Ecclesiastical Exemption, many denominations are already able to manage alterations to their own listed buildings, including adaptation to community use and greater accessibility, through internal permission systems.
We know this is a difficult time for the civil society sector; cost of living pressures are leading to increased demand for many organisations, alongside their higher running costs.
Over the last year, my department has been delivering the VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is a £25.5 million fund to support voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations across England to save money on energy bills. The fund was designed to help groups with rising energy costs and was targeted at those delivering key frontline services. Recipients of the fund have included over 40 churches and faith-based organisations.
The regulation of due impartiality in broadcast news is a matter for the independent regulator Ofcom.
Apprenticeship and skills policy is devolved to Northern Ireland, and any measures regarding apprenticeships there are a matter for the Northern Irish government.
The Northern Ireland Executive has devolved responsibility for higher education in Northern Ireland and determines the student finance arrangements for Northern Irish students, including those students studying in England, Scotland and Wales.
The UK Government works closely with ministers and officials in Northern Ireland to engage on environmental topics, including biodiversity. For example, they recently jointly published the UK’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, are collaborating closely on its implementation and producing a 7th National Report on progress. However, there is no funding associated with these activities.
There are relevant Sector Capacity grants which are open to lead applicants based anywhere in the UK (including Northern Ireland). The three grants include:
Information sharing regularly takes place at official level and through the Tree Planting Taskforce to help address UK wide challenges and share lessons learned on grant mechanisms.
Poultry can move from Northern Ireland to England under the general licence published on GOV.UK. Under the Windsor Framework, poultry moving from England to Northern Ireland are subject to the import rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Bird gatherings, including shows and exhibitions, are not permitted within a disease control zone. Outside of these areas, bird gatherings are only permitted if licensed. Bird gatherings general licences have been made available by Defra and the devolved governments permitting certain bird gatherings, provided that the gathering has been notified to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland at least 7 days before the event and it meets all the requirements of the relevant general licence. Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved governments to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. Whist poultry (Galliforme or Anseriforme birds) gatherings are permitted in Northern Ireland, due to the heightened risk of avian influenza in Great Britain poultry gatherings remain prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland.
Poultry can move from Northern Ireland to England under the general licence published on GOV.UK. Under the Windsor Framework, poultry moving from England to Northern Ireland are subject to the import rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Bird gatherings, including shows and exhibitions, are not permitted within a disease control zone. Outside of these areas, bird gatherings are only permitted if licensed. Bird gatherings general licences have been made available by Defra and the devolved governments permitting certain bird gatherings, provided that the gathering has been notified to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland at least 7 days before the event and it meets all the requirements of the relevant general licence. Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved governments to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. Whist poultry (Galliforme or Anseriforme birds) gatherings are permitted in Northern Ireland, due to the heightened risk of avian influenza in Great Britain poultry gatherings remain prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland.
Poultry can move from Northern Ireland to England under the general licence published on GOV.UK. Under the Windsor Framework, poultry moving from England to Northern Ireland are subject to the import rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Bird gatherings, including shows and exhibitions, are not permitted within a disease control zone. Outside of these areas, bird gatherings are only permitted if licensed. Bird gatherings general licences have been made available by Defra and the devolved governments permitting certain bird gatherings, provided that the gathering has been notified to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland at least 7 days before the event and it meets all the requirements of the relevant general licence. Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved governments to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. Whist poultry (Galliforme or Anseriforme birds) gatherings are permitted in Northern Ireland, due to the heightened risk of avian influenza in Great Britain poultry gatherings remain prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland.
Poultry can move from Northern Ireland to England under the general licence published on GOV.UK. Under the Windsor Framework, poultry moving from England to Northern Ireland are subject to the import rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Bird gatherings, including shows and exhibitions, are not permitted within a disease control zone. Outside of these areas, bird gatherings are only permitted if licensed. Bird gatherings general licences have been made available by Defra and the devolved governments permitting certain bird gatherings, provided that the gathering has been notified to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland at least 7 days before the event and it meets all the requirements of the relevant general licence. Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved governments to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. Whist poultry (Galliforme or Anseriforme birds) gatherings are permitted in Northern Ireland, due to the heightened risk of avian influenza in Great Britain poultry gatherings remain prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland.
Poultry can move from Northern Ireland to England under the general licence published on GOV.UK. Under the Windsor Framework, poultry moving from England to Northern Ireland are subject to the import rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Bird gatherings, including shows and exhibitions, are not permitted within a disease control zone. Outside of these areas, bird gatherings are only permitted if licensed. Bird gatherings general licences have been made available by Defra and the devolved governments permitting certain bird gatherings, provided that the gathering has been notified to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland at least 7 days before the event and it meets all the requirements of the relevant general licence. Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved governments to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. Whist poultry (Galliforme or Anseriforme birds) gatherings are permitted in Northern Ireland, due to the heightened risk of avian influenza in Great Britain poultry gatherings remain prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland.
Poultry can move from Northern Ireland to England under the general licence published on GOV.UK. Under the Windsor Framework, poultry moving from England to Northern Ireland are subject to the import rules in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council. Bird gatherings, including shows and exhibitions, are not permitted within a disease control zone. Outside of these areas, bird gatherings are only permitted if licensed. Bird gatherings general licences have been made available by Defra and the devolved governments permitting certain bird gatherings, provided that the gathering has been notified to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland at least 7 days before the event and it meets all the requirements of the relevant general licence. Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the devolved governments to assess their disease risks and respond accordingly. Whist poultry (Galliforme or Anseriforme birds) gatherings are permitted in Northern Ireland, due to the heightened risk of avian influenza in Great Britain poultry gatherings remain prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland.
Agriculture is a devolved issue, and so it is for the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to determine the best way to allocate funding to support farmers in their nations.
In England, the Farming Innovation Programme has been Defra’s flagship programme for supporting research and innovation in farming to help English farmers and growers increase productivity, sustainability and resilience.
We do however recognise the expertise across our shared borders, so Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish companies and research organisations have also been able to collaborate in Programme projects to increase productivity and environmental sustainability. This will help farmers throughout the UK to take advantage from any spill-over benefits from the Programme. The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, launched on 23rd June, recognises Agri-Tech as a key growth sector and at least £200 million is allocated to the Programme up to 2030. This will offer targeted funding to drive innovation in agriculture and further industry-led competitions will launch later this year. Automation and precision farming are just some of the technologies supported by the Programme.
Farming policy is a devolved matter. The Government has not conducted a formal assessment on the impact of the Scottish Government’s decision. Defra officials are working closely with the devolved Governments to ensure compliance with the UK internal markets Act (2020).
In the recent UK-EU joint statement, the government committed to building on the stable foundation of the Windsor Framework, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to further reduce barriers to trade.
Moving goods between GB and NI will be easier, reducing the need for paperwork and checks due to the removal of SPS and other requirements.
Defra officials and the devolved Governments are working to deliver robust traceability across the UK and to ensure we are in line with the UK Internal Markets Act (2020) and can trade with the EU and internationally.
On 2 June, Defra announced its decision to use Low Frequency electronic identification technology for cattle in England.
Under the Windsor Framework, should Northern Ireland introduce electronic ID for cattle, it will be required to use the same Low Frequency technology in line with EU requirements.
Wales are yet to decide on which technology to implement.
Defra is aware of research papers published by Scot EID and have gathered further evidence through our own research and extensive engagement with farmers and industry.
Defra and the Welsh Government commissioned Harper Adams University to conduct an independent study of the two types of EID technology. This found fewer challenges associated with low frequency than ultra-high frequency technology. The findings of this study have now been published and can be found on Defra Science Search pages.
Defra officials and the devolved Governments are working to deliver robust traceability across the UK. This is to ensure we are in line with the UK Internal Markets Act (2020) and can trade with the EU and internationally.
This Government is committed to halting the decline in species abundance by 2030 and reversing species decline, reducing the risk of species extinction and restoring and creating more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042.
For pollinator species, we are considering lessons learned from a recently completed review of our 2021-24 Pollinator Action Plan, which set out actions to address key risks to insect pollinator populations, including monitoring potential or emerging risks.
Although honeybees face many of the same environmental pressures as wild pollinators, their population is driven largely by the number of beekeepers willing and able to keep bees. Figures from the annual UK Hive Count suggest that honey bee numbers are quite stable.
Healthy soils that are rich in nutrients and organic matter, abundant pollinators, and clean water are essential for sustainable food production. We will support farmers and land managers to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security, support productivity, and build resilience to climate change.
Every business that produces or deals with waste tyres has a legal duty of care to make sure that their waste is managed appropriately by an authorised person to ensure that risks to the environment are minimised. Any holder of end-of-life tractor tyres is able to check that someone is appropriately authorised to handle that waste through the Environment Agency's or their national equivalent environmental regulator's public register.
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 April to Question UIN 45139.
Drinking water quality is a devolved matter and therefore I can only respond in relation to England.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has published two research projects on microplastics in drinking water – one in January 2019 reviewing the potential risks from nanoparticles and microplastics and another in October 2022 looking at the removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment processes. This found that more than 99.99% of microplastic particles were removed through conventional drinking water treatment processes and that microplastics were present at very low levels in drinking water. Their contribution to total daily exposure, and presenting a potential risk to human health, was likely to be low or insignificant. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also recommended that routine monitoring of microplastics in drinking water was not necessary at this time.
The DWI published a report in December 2024 recommending revisions to some of the parameters listed in the drinking water regulations.
This Government is committed to restoring and protecting nature. We are committed to halting the decline in species abundance by 2030 and reversing species decline, reducing the risk of species extinction and restoring and creating more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042.
For our pollinator species we are considering lessons learned from the recently completed review of our Pollinator Action Plan (PAP), which set out plans to fulfil the vision, aims and objectives of the National Pollinator Strategy over the last three-year period from 2021-24.
Figures from the annual UK Hive Count suggest that honey bee numbers are stable.
Healthy soils that are rich in nutrients and organic matter, abundant pollinators and clean water are essential for sustainable food production. We will provide farmers and land managers with the support they need to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security, support productivity and build resilience to climate change.
We are not complacent about illegal meat smuggling, which may pose threats to animal health, food safety and public health. That is why we are working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue with the support of Border Force, Port Health Authorities and local authorities.
Where non-compliant meat is identified inland, the Food Standards Agency works closely with its local authority partners, who hold responsibility for this aspect of enforcement, to remove the goods from potential sale in the UK market. This work is conducted by the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit who work with partners to disrupt, prevent and where appropriate investigate those involved in food crime.
Whilst we have never had an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the UK, it remains a key priority in terms of exotic notifiable disease preparedness. The overall risk of an incursion is currently assessed to be medium, and we continue to prepare for a possible outbreak. To safeguard the UK’s pork and pig industries, Defra, Devolved Governments, together with the pig industry and veterinary bodies have been working together to raise awareness of the risks of the introduction of ASF to the UK. Defra announced further controls in September 2024, restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain.
The risk of incursion of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) to Great Britain was increased to medium following the confirmation of disease in Germany on the 10 January 202 and then Hungary on 6 March 2025. The Government has taken decisive and rapid action to protect the UK by suspending the commercial import of susceptible animals from Germany and restricting personal imports of animal products from across the EU. The UK has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of this disease as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.
Defra has made additional funding of £1.9 million available to Dover District Council for the Port Health Authority, for the remainder of this financial year (2024 to 2025), to support Border Force to conduct safeguarding checks on the illegal import of products of animal origin. This is in addition to the £1.2 million already committed. This total funding of £3.1 million is based on the existing staffing costs provided by Dover Port Health Authority. This funding is only for this financial year. Defra has also contributed operational equipment to support Border Force with relevant checks.
The Border Target Operating Model aims to mitigate sanitary and phytosanitary risks, while enabling the flow of legitimate goods through our ports and airports. We will continue to operate a compliance first approach enabling importers and the public to move compliant goods, backed up by robust, intelligence-led, enforcement controls on illegal activity.
We take illegal meat smuggling very seriously, as it may pose threats to animal health, food safety and public health. That is why we are working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue with the support of Border Force, Port Health Authorities and local authorities.
Border Force is responsible for securing our borders and officers have powers to stop and search vehicles and passengers at ports and airports. Border Force may call on Port Health Authorities for assistance in seizing any illegal meat detected. Border Force is funded by the Home Office.
We are not complacent about illegal meat smuggling, which may pose threats to animal health, food safety and public health. That is why we are working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue with the support of Border Force, Port Health Authorities and local authorities
This includes Defra’s offer of funding to Dover Port Health Authority to support Border Force with enforcement in 2025/26.
The Secretary of State is also working with Home Office and Border Force on plans to seize the cars, vans, trucks and coaches used by criminal gangs to smuggle illegal meat into our country and crush them so they can’t be used again.
The 2023 to 2024 Autumn and winter season were the wettest in 30 years, this meant that many farms in affected areas experienced difficulty cultivating or grazing over that period. The primary impact of this on agricultural productivity is a shift from winter cropping to spring cropping. According to the AHDB annual harvest insight there was a shift in barley crops of 24% between winter and spring and much of this spring crop may get lower yields. To assist farmers with the impact of the extreme wet weather £57.5 million has been paid in farming recovery payments, to around 12,700 farmers.
The Government has invested £50 million to internal drainage boards (IDBs) as part of the one-off £75 million IDB Fund to support greater resilience for farmers and rural communities in the long term. The IDB Fund will accelerate IDBs’ recovery from the winter 2023-24 storms and provide opportunities to modernise and upgrade assets that protect agricultural land and rural communities.
Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency have stood up their well-established outbreak structures to control and eradicate highly pathogenic avian influenza, restore normal trade, and assist local communities’ recovery as set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales.
All registered bird keepers receive regular updates and guidance to help protect their birds from avian influenza. Biosecurity guidance and self-assessment checklists are available on each of the UK administration’s websites to assist bird keepers in maintaining good biosecurity and complying with the requirements of disease control and preventions zones.
The Mitigation Strategy provides guidance to wildlife trusts, conservation charities and other organisations on how to respond to findings of avian influenza in wild birds. It sets out how these groups, together with the government and its delivery partners, can mitigate the impact of avian influenza on wild bird populations whilst protecting public health, the wider environment and the rural economy.
Whilst disease control is a devolved matter, Defra and the Devolved Governments work closely together with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response to disease threats.
Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, including assistance animals, is an offence under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The maximum sentence for this offence is five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Those convicted of an offence may also be disqualified from owning or keeping animals.
The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs which provides owners and keepers with general welfare information including a specific section on how to provide the correct environment for their dog and protect them from pain, suffering, injury and disease: Code of practice for the welfare of dogs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Policy on bovine TB is devolved to governments in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, in the last five years, my department has spent approximately £100 million per year on disease control measures tackling bovine TB.
It is not possible to break down the amount spent, by individual TB risk area.
The Government takes the illegal importation of pets seriously. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to animals.
We work closely with UK enforcement bodies including the Animal and Plant Health Agency to develop guidance and ensure they have the correct tools and resources to enforce the Pet Travel rules, disrupt illegal imports, safeguard the welfare of animals and seize non-compliant animals.
The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee in Northern Ireland, Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and the Welsh Government meet twice a year as the Accessibility 4 Nations Group, to engage and collaborate on accessibility matters. These meetings are co-ordinated and chaired on a rotational basis by the respective secretariats, including the DPTAC secretariat within the Department for Transport. The latest meeting took place in April 2025 with the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland chairing.
Innovative approaches to providing accessible information has an important role to play in delivering transport networks which allows disabled people to be able to travel easily, confidently and with dignity. Improving accessibility is a collaborative effort, with operators, industry, and entrepreneurs all having key parts to play – alongside disabled passengers. Initiatives such as those developed by AccessAble provide an example of how this can be achieved. As detailed in the Department’s response to the Transport Committee inquiry into accessible travel, the Department for Transport is undertaking discovery work to capture bus and rail accessibility assets within the National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) which is a national dataset of all public transport ‘stops’ in England, Scotland and Wales. This discovery work is the starting point for accessibility journey planning.