James Cartlidge

The Cabinet Office does not make forecasts of the earnings of individuals. Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £200,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

The Cabinet Office also publishes an annual ‘high earner’ list of named senior civil servants and senior officials in departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. The most recently published information can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-officials-high-earners-salaries

The previous administration did not update this list prior to the General Election. The Cabinet Office will publish a new 2025 list in due course.

As are all special advisers, the National Security Adviser is entitled to membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

As a special adviser, the National Security Adviser’s salary is determined by the Special Adviser People Board, in line with the special adviser pay framework. Information on Special Adviser pay will be published in the Annual Report on Special Advisers as per the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, as was the case under the previous Administration.

All special advisers, including the National Security Adviser, are employed under the terms of the Model Contract for Special Advisers, available on GOV.UK.

Special advisers’ salaries are determined by the Special Adviser People Board, in line with the special adviser pay framework.

The consumer rights framework is kept under review to ensure it continues to provide effective consumer protection.

For example, the department is implementing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 which strengthens enforcement of this framework by giving the CMA new direct enforcement powers and the CMA and court enforcers the ability to impose significant monetary penalties where necessary.

Supporting law enforcement in combatting online fraud and other economic crimes, my Department, through its sponsored bodies, plays a critical role in supplying data on UK registered commercial entities to assist investigations and prosecutions.

Companies House and the Insolvency Service work closely with the National Economic Crime Centre and similar agencies to identify threats and trends to facilitate UK law enforcement in preventing and closing down such scams at the earliest opportunity.

Through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we raise awareness about how to spot, avoid and report scams. The Scams Awareness Campaign recently run by Citizens Advice had particular focus on the top financial scams: fake debt advice; friend in need scams; investment scams; pension scams; and parking QR code scams

There are over 11,500 post office branches in the UK – over half are in rural areas – which the Government supports through an annual £50m network subsidy to ensure the viability of rural and community branches.

Government further works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens.

While publicly owned, Post Office, as a commercial business with its own Board, operates at arm’s length from the Government. Therefore, the issue around exceptional payments is an operational matter for the Post Office.

The Post Office has however informed my officials that they have taken the decision to pause making further changes to exceptional payments until later this autumn.

The Post Office is an essential service in communities across the country. The Government is committed to finding ways to strengthen the Post Office, through consulting with sub-postmasters, trade unions and customers. This will include supporting the development of new products, services and business models, such as banking hubs, that will help reinvigorate the high street.

Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy funding to support the delivery of a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria.

It is the responsibility of the developers of electricity network projects – in this case National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) - to propose the route and obtain planning permission for that route. NGET presented cost estimates for the Norwich to Tilbury proposals in their April 2024 Strategic Options Backcheck and Review.

Ofgem reviews proposed project costs and ensures that network companies spend efficiently. Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce system costs. Ofgem will conduct a detailed cost assessment of this project for the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Project Assessment stage.

At the time of Ofgem’s decision for Eastern Green Link (EGL) 1&2 Final Need Case, an onshore option was expected to be delivered by 2036, based on information provided by the Transmission Owner, National Grid Electricity Transmission. It was not included as part of the Final Need Case,^[1] as analysis conducted by the Electricity System Operator found that the reinforcement was needed earlier than the onshore option could be delivered.^[2]

^{[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-11/EGL1%20Project%20Assessment%20Decision%20Final.pdf}

^{[2] https://www.neso.energy/document/162356/download}

The analysis of an onshore reinforcement (i.e. overhead pylons) for Western Green Link was conducted 16 years ago and cost estimates for alternative options are not available.

As the option of an onshore reinforcement for Eastern Green Link 1&2 did not meet the timeline for delivery, it was not progressed to the cost benefit analysis stage. As such, an estimate was not made for that option. Analysis of further stages of Eastern Green Link will be available in the future.

Ofgem reviews proposed project costs and ensures that network companies spend efficiently. Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce system costs.

Ofgem identified a net lifetime benefit for Western Link, due to lower project and constraint costs compared to alternatives. [1] The system operator set out the project need case in 2007.

Ofgem’s analysis [2]of Eastern Green Link 1 and 2, noted that onshore reinforcements would not achieve required delivery dates resulting in increased constraint costs.

^[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/transmission-investment-incentives-consultation-minded-position-western-high-voltage-direct-current-hvdc-link-western-bootstrap

^[2]https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/eastern-hvdc-consultation-projects-initial-needs-case-and-initial-thinking-its-suitability-competition

As part of the feasibility work for the coordination proposal explored through the Offshore Coordination Support Scheme, independent analysis by Arup and the Electricity System Operator (now the National Energy System Operator) identified an increase in development costs by up to £890 million, and additional constraint costs of greater than £1.5 billion over the project lifetime. While these costs would be expected to be recovered from consumer electricity bills, the interactions with other bill components mean there are uncertainties preventing a precise estimate of the impact.

Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market without subsidy.

It is not possible to specify the proportion of Project Gigabit funding that will be allocated to rural and urban areas, as this depends on suppliers’ commercial rollout, which is subject to change. Funding will continue to be provided where it is needed. However, between April 2022 and March 2023, 90% of premises benefiting from government broadband schemes were in rural areas.

Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market without subsidy.

It is not possible to specify the proportion of Project Gigabit funding that will be allocated to rural and urban areas, as this depends on suppliers’ commercial rollout, which is subject to change. Funding will continue to be provided where it is needed. However, between April 2022 and March 2023, 90% of premises benefiting from government broadband schemes were in rural areas.

Future Government spending is a matter for the 2026 Spending Review.

We do not have any plans to publish an impact assessment. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by the change.

Future Government spending is a matter for the upcoming Spending Review.

I refer the hon. Member for South Suffolk to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.

The building project for Ormiston Sudbury Academy is in the procurement stage of the process. The project team is working with the school and contractor and the planning submission is on track to be submitted by the end of the year. Works are estimated to start in summer 2025 with a planned handover around 2028.

There are now 37,000 live Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements. This means 4.3 million hectares of land are now in SFI agreements.

As a result, returns on these agreements include:

• 800,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides reducing harm to pollinators and improving soil health
• 300,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably helping to protect biodiversity and improve water quality
• 75,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored providing essential habitats for wildlife, improving carbon storage, and strengthening natural flood defences.

We are evolving the SFI offer and are exploring ways to better target the money for instance, potentially towards smaller farmers, the least productive land or delivering specific outcomes. We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer once the Spending Review has been completed.

As of 21 March 2024, there are 154 farmers with a Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement (SFI Pilot, SFI 23 and SFI EO) in South Suffolk constituency.

We don’t produce constituency level assessments. We publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income broken down in various ways. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

On the 11th of March 2025 we published forecasts which suggest that average Farm Business Income has risen in 2024/25 across all farm types with the exception of cereal farms. This follows a fall in income for most farm types in 2023/24, after some exceptional highs in the two preceding years. For all farm types, except for Cereals, expected reductions in Direct Payments have been completely offset by projected increases in other Farm Business Income components in 2024/25.

Across England, 50,000 farm businesses are already in agri-environmental schemes. We will open up initial applications for CS Higher tier and a revised ELM capital grants offer later in the Summer.

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period.

Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive for the submission of new applications, existing agreements will continue. Every penny in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed.

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer once the Spending Review has been completed.

SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We recognise farmers need clarity and certainty and we remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes, and to supporting the farming sector, including those in the South Suffolk constituency.

We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

The budget for future years will be set in phase 2 of the SR.

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period.

Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive for the submission of new applications, existing agreements will continue. Every penny in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed.

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer once the Spending Review has been completed.

SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We recognise farmers need clarity and certainty and we remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes, and to supporting the farming sector, including those in the South Suffolk constituency.

We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

The budget for future years will be set in phase 2 of the SR.