Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support businesses impacted by outbreaks of avian influenza.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK poultry sector is highly resilient, adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years including the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Avian Influenza outbreaks.
In autumn 2024 Defra announced a package of measures to help farmers to deal with the impact of any future avian influenza outbreaks and to provide certainty and stability to farmers in the UK’s poultry and egg sectors. These included:
- The introduction of legislation to allow free-range eggs to continue to be labelled as such for the duration of mandatory housing measures, reducing costs on producers and enabling them to continue to trade fairly with imported eggs. This came into force on 23 January 2025.
- A consultation on introducing similar measures for the labelling of free-range poultry meat during mandatory housing measures. The consultation closed on 16 December 2024. Responses are currently being analysed and a summary of responses will be published in due course.
We continue to work closely with the poultry and egg sectors and to monitor these markets for any supply issues that may arise as a result of avian influenza outbreaks.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help farmers insure against the risk of avian influenza outbreaks.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK poultry sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years including the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and avian influenza outbreaks.
Following difficult avian influenza seasons in 2021/22 and 2022/23, poultry and egg producers have made the department aware of the challenges that some have faced in both obtaining suitable insurance products and the increased cost of such insurance. Defra has been working with both producers and the insurance industry to seek market-based solutions to this situation.
In addition, the department continues to remind producers that they are responsible for the on-farm management of their flocks and should take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of an outbreak occurring. Having strong biosecurity measures in place, and maintaining them year-round, significantly reduces the risk of infection on site.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers affected by flooding who have not received payments under the Farming Recovery Fund.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government inherited flood assets in their worst condition on record following years of underinvestment by the previous Government – only 92% of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high consequence assets are currently at required condition.
To ensure we protect the country from the devastating impacts of flooding, we will invest £2.4 billion over 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience, by building, maintaining, and repairing flood defences. The government also announced an additional £50 million of investment into internal drainage boards, as part of the one-off £75 million Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Fund, supporting farmers and rural communities from the impacts of flooding, and £60 million in payments to farmers through the Farming Recovery Fund, impacted by unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter (October 2023 to March 2024).
The new Flood Resilience Taskforce provides oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season.
Additionally, Defra’s farming budget will be £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes. This funding will deliver improvements to cover a range of objectives including support to improve resilience to flooding.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of compensation protocols for birds culled to control avian influenza.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Compensation paid for birds culled by HM Government for disease control purposes is designed to promote prompt reporting of suspicion of disease and is only payable for healthy birds as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. There is no compensation available for sick birds or birds that have died. Compensation is not paid for consequential losses, including business interruption caused by control measures, nor for eggs or poultry meat.
In response to the unprecedented outbreaks of avian influenza in October 2022 Defra’s approach to compensation was updated to involve earlier assessment of the number of healthy birds and swifter calculation of compensation. This allows Defra to provide earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation; better reflects the impact of outbreaks on premises; and leads to swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures.
Defra’s approach to compensation was recently subject to a judicial review, and was found to be lawful on appeal. Compensation policy will continue to be kept under regular review.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to include contractual obligations for organisations receiving public funding for biomedical research and development to ensure (a) equitable and (b) affordable access to their innovations for (a) people in low- and middle-income countries and (b) other people.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Contracts for researchers funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have mechanisms to ensure the effective dissemination of research outputs. They also adhere to the NIHR Open Access Policy to ensure academic research is published freely, immediately, and is permanently available online for anyone to read, share, and reuse. The NIHR also uses standard contracts which ensure that intellectual property generated by research benefits the public. Further information on the NIHR Open Access Policy is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/nihr-open-access-publications-funding-guidance
In addition, all research funded through the Department’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) research programmes delivers direct and primary benefit to the ODA-eligible countries on the Development Assistance Committee list. The scope of the Department’s ODA research is set in consultation with stakeholders in low and middle income countries so that it is relevant, and all research findings are published so that they are available for all. Further information on ODA-eligible countries on the Development Assistance Committee list is available at the following link:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the (a) capital and (b) non-capital spend on the New Hospital Programme by hospital trusts that are part of waves 2 and 3.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation, the exact profile of funding for the New Hospital Programme will be confirmed in rolling five-year waves at regular Spending Reviews. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link:
Up to and including December 2024, the Department’s spend on the New Hospital Programme was £1.808 billion for capital expenditure, and £268 million for non-capital expenditure. This includes the year-to-date position for 2024/25, and as such remains provisional and subject to final audit.
The current future estimates of costs for schemes in waves two and three were published in the plan for implementation. The previous budget allocated to trusts in the New Hospital Programme was published in the annual Financial assistance under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006, and is available at the following link:
All spend allocated to hospital trusts in the New Hospital Programme is capitalised, and as such we do not record any non-capital spend.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) a year by year forecast of expected investment in the New Hospitals Programme and (b) the projected total budget for that programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation, the exact profile of funding for the New Hospital Programme will be confirmed in rolling five-year waves at regular Spending Reviews. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link:
Up to and including December 2024, the Department’s spend on the New Hospital Programme was £1.808 billion for capital expenditure, and £268 million for non-capital expenditure. This includes the year-to-date position for 2024/25, and as such remains provisional and subject to final audit.
The current future estimates of costs for schemes in waves two and three were published in the plan for implementation. The previous budget allocated to trusts in the New Hospital Programme was published in the annual Financial assistance under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006, and is available at the following link:
All spend allocated to hospital trusts in the New Hospital Programme is capitalised, and as such we do not record any non-capital spend.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's (a) capital and (b) non-capital spend is on the New Hospitals Programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our New Hospital Programme: plan for implementation, the exact profile of funding for the New Hospital Programme will be confirmed in rolling five-year waves at regular Spending Reviews. Further information on the plan for implementation is available at the following link:
Up to and including December 2024, the Department’s spend on the New Hospital Programme was £1.808 billion for capital expenditure, and £268 million for non-capital expenditure. This includes the year-to-date position for 2024/25, and as such remains provisional and subject to final audit.
The current future estimates of costs for schemes in waves two and three were published in the plan for implementation. The previous budget allocated to trusts in the New Hospital Programme was published in the annual Financial assistance under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006, and is available at the following link:
All spend allocated to hospital trusts in the New Hospital Programme is capitalised, and as such we do not record any non-capital spend.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's projected completion dates are for each project delivered by the New Hospital Programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Expected completion dates for schemes in the New Hospital Programme will be confirmed following the approval of a Full Business Case, as set out in HM Treasury’s Green Book, and as is usual for large infrastructure projects.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people employed by his Department have worked on (a) the review into the New Hospital Programme and (b) the New Hospital Programme in each year since 2019.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The review into the New Hospital Programme (NHP) was led by a Director from the NHP team in the Department of Health and Social Care. They were supported by several officials from within the NHP sponsor team in the Department of Health and Social Care along with officials in NHS England, with input from officials in HM Treasury.
The following table shows the figures for the number of people employed by the Department of Health and Social Care to work on the NHP Sponsor Team at the end of each financial year up to March 2024 and then until December 2024:
Date | Headcount |
31 March 2019 | Prior to the Programme being established |
31 March 2020 | Prior to the Programme being established |
31 March 2021 | 21 |
31 March 2022 | 60 |
31 March 2023 | 45 |
31 March 2024 | 18 |
31 December 2024 | 22 |
Notes: