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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the the potential benefits of introducing an initiative to provide livestock farmers with practical guidance on disease prevention and responsible antibiotic use.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra supports livestock farmers in England to improve disease prevention, biosecurity and the responsible use of antibiotics through existing initiatives, including the Animal Health and Welfare Review and the Poultry Biosecurity Review. The Department continues to assess the evidence on animal health and disease prevention to inform policy development.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken an assessment of the resilience of agricultural water supplies during prolonged dry weather.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) and Defra are holding monthly National Drought Group meetings gathering intelligence from the agriculture sector on water resilience. Supplies in irrigation reservoirs have rapidly declined following a dry spring and many are now at less than 50% capacity. Conditions on abstraction licences to protect the environment also reduce water availability where river flows are low.

The EA has downgraded its spray irrigation prospects forecast for farmers following the dry weather and deterioration in the water resources position. The EA’s irrigation prospect report includes support packages available for farmers to increase their resilience.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government's Access to Banking Services Review is making of the role that the Post Office's network of branches could play in providing access to in-person banking services for people who are digitally excluded or require face-to-face support.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services.

That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects, including the digitally excluded. The Review will consider access to in-person banking services for both personal and business customers.

As part of this, the Review will consider existing forms of in-person banking provision. The Post Office provides banking services through over 10,000 branches via the Banking Framework agreement and, as such, the provision of services by the Post Office on behalf of banks will be considered as part of the Review.

Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government would consider establishing a minimum standard for access to in-person banking services, following the Access to Banking Services Review; and what role the Post Office network could play in meeting such a standard.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services.

That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects, including the digitally excluded. The Review will consider access to in-person banking services for both personal and business customers.

As part of this, the Review will consider existing forms of in-person banking provision. The Post Office provides banking services through over 10,000 branches via the Banking Framework agreement and, as such, the provision of services by the Post Office on behalf of banks will be considered as part of the Review.

Alongside the Review, the Financial Services and Markets Bill includes a power to allow the Government to take action in future to protect access to banking services, should this be necessary. This power ensures the Government can act swiftly and proportionately, including through future regulation, if the evidence from the Review supports intervention.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the cost of rural crime to farming businesses.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

The Government is committed to tackling rural crime and safeguarding rural communities. That is why we have worked closely with the Home Office and the National Police Chief’s Council to deliver their 2025-28 Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy which was published November 2025.

The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department undertakes research or collects data on confidence among farmers and agricultural businesses.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra publishes various measures of farmer confidence, including a summary of free text comments by theme, collected via the Farmer Opinion Tracker. The latest results are published here and the next set of results will be available on the same page on 29 July 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister has responsibility for supporting Mountain Rescue.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mountain Rescue covers a broad range of capabilities provided by civilian, military, and voluntary responders. As such, individual departments sponsoring these various services are responsible for policy in those areas.

These departments include Home Office, DfT, and MOD, alongside relevant departments in devolved governments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the economic impact of changes in North Sea oil and gas activity on the north-east of Scotland.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The North Sea basin is mature and in long-term decline, with oil and gas production falling by around 75% between 1999 and 2024. This has affected employment and investment in oil and gas, particularly in north-east Scotland.

Britain is well-placed to mobilise our natural advantage, using the skills and expertise of our offshore workforce and supply chain to get ahead in the global race for new jobs and industries.

The North Sea Future Plan sets out how the government will deliver end to end support, including North Sea Jobs Service, helping workers, communities and businesses benefit from clean energy opportunities.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of government policy on employment in Scotland's offshore oil and gas sector since July 2024.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The North Sea is a mature basin, and production has been in natural decline for many years. Employment in oil and gas has therefore been declining over a prolonged period. Office for National Statistics data shows direct oil and gas employment fell by around a third between 2014 and 2024.

Since 2024, the Government has set out measures to support workers and communities through the transition, including through the North Sea Jobs Service and the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Patricia Ferguson (Chair); Maureen Burke; Harriet Cross; Dave Doogan

Found: Q52 Harriet Cross: No, I am not talking about banking hubs.

Submit Evidence (by 18 Sep 2026)

Scotch whisky is one of Scotland’s most globally recognised products and the UK’s largest drink export. The industry contributes substantial economic value and supports 41,000 jobs across Scotland. Whisky also carries cultural significance and plays a central role in rural economies. However, recent global volatility and a rise in protectionist measures have contributed to a slowdown in Scotch whisky exports, while market trends are also shifting. At the same time, the sector is facing a number of domestic pressures, such as rising energy costs and the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme. This inquiry will examine these challenges, and explore how UK Government policies on trade, duty and domestic regulation are shaping the future of this key Scottish industry.