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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what indicators her department uses to assess progressive realisation of access to adequate, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food; and whether she plans to publish a consolidated framework for measuring outcomes related to the right to food.

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

Defra publishes the triennial UK Food Security Report, which contains data on household food security including accessibility, affordability and dietary patterns. The next report will be published in 2027. In the intervening years, the UK Food Security Digest also covers household food security in a more condensed form.

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 assessed the long-term implications of reliance on emergency food provision for the fulfilment of the right to food; and what steps she is taking to reduce structural dependence on such provision.

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

Defra has not assessed the implications of emergency food provision for fulfilment of a right to food. The Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. From 1 April 2026, The Government is introducing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund in England. This aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis, to support the Government’s ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

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 food price inflation on households experiencing food insecurity; and how that assessment informs current food and agriculture policy.

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

Food price inflation is part of a wider challenge on cost of living and the Government’s approach goes beyond tackling food alone. The Government is working to address the cost-of-living pressures facing families across the country through targeted measures including raising the minimum wage, extending the bus fare cap, rolling out Best Start family hubs; extending the holiday activity and food programme; the expansion of free-school-meals; removing the two-child limit on Universal Credit; and reforming the crisis support though the introduction of the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Defra is introducing the Food Inflation Gateway which will assess the impact of Government regulations on food businesses and food prices before implementation. In December 2025, the Government announced the creation of the Farming & Food Partnership Board which will bring together farming, food, retail, finance and Government, taking a strategic farm to fork approach to increase farming profitability and strengthen our food production.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has undertaken an assessment of the potential implications of formally recognising the right to food in domestic law for the design and evaluation of food policy across Government.

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

Defra has not undertaken an assessment. The right to food is not codified in UK domestic law, but the UK continues to recognise economic, social and cultural rights as defined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Government remains committed to fulfilling our obligations under the Covenant.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms are in place to ensure coordination between her Department and the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Education on policies affecting household access to food; and whether responsibility for oversight of such coordination rests with a named Minister.

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

The Good Food Cycle, published in July 2025, identifies 10 priority outcomes across themes of healthier food, sustainability, food security, affordability and inequality, and good growth. Defra leads on coordination across government on the Good Food Cycle outcomes. Defra officials and Ministers have regular interactions with other Government departments to ensure coordination on policies required to deliver them. This includes regular engagement with the Department for Work and Pensions on ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels, with the Department for Health and Social Care on food related elements of the 10 Year Health Plan, and with the Department for Education on School Food Standards.

Football ticket prices (No. 2)

Job reductions at news publisher Reach plc

Redundancies of skilled rail workers at Balfour Beatty

Industrial action and the cost of living

Transition of rail workers into Great British Railways

Dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands

Closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan

Future of Hamworthy Fire Station

Payment of employment tribunal awards

Reforming National Parks and National Landscapes

New United Nations Convention on the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals

Industrial relations at Carlisle Support Services

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

Trade union de-recognition at GB Railfreight

NHS access to medical cannabis for children with drug-resistant epilepsy

Use of catapults against wildlife

Escalation of conflict with Iran

Sinking of SS Tilawa

Rosebank oil field

Found: Nursery FY4 5LY Blackpool North West Chris Webb Malvern Primary School L14 6XA Knowsley North West Ian Byrne

Found: Nursery FY4 5LY Blackpool North West Chris Webb Malvern Primary School L14 6XA Knowsley North West Ian Byrne