Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support is available to fire and rescue authorities in responding to wildfires caused or exacerbated by excess vegetation.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We are making almost £1.95 billion available to standalone fire and rescue authorities in England through the Local Government Finance Settlement, with spending decisions based on local risk. Following the Prime Minister’s Wildfire Resilience Summit on 23 October, we also announced up to £45 million for England’s frontline wildfire capability ahead of the 2027 season, including specialist teams and lightweight, wildfire-specific protective equipment. This is on top of £97 million already announced for National Resilience assets and equipment, including a pilot national wildfire response capability.
We are also developing nationally coordinated aerial firefighting capabilities, improving forecasting and risk information with the Met Office, and supporting prevention through £25 million for peatland restoration and land management measures to reduce vegetation and fuel loads. England’s first Wildfire Action Plan will bring together prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to publish a Wildfire Strategy and Action Plan for England; and if that strategy will include targets for reducing vegetation fuel loads.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government will publish a Wildfire Action Plan for England, setting out action to strengthen wildfire prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Following the Wildfire Summit on 23 October 2026, we will work across government and with fire and rescue services, land managers and other partners to develop the detail of the plan.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of wildfires in England in 2027.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the Prime Minister’s Wildfire Resilience Summit on 23 October, we are taking practical action to strengthen preparedness ahead of the 2027 wildfire season. We have announced up to £45 million of additional funding for England’s frontline wildfire capability, including specialist wildfire teams and lightweight, wildfire-specific protective equipment. This is on top of the £97 million already announced to upgrade National Resilience assets and equipment, including a pilot national wildfire response capability.
We are also developing a nationally coordinated aerial firefighting capability, working with the Met Office to improve wildfire forecasting and risk information, and strengthening prevention through £25 million for peatland restoration and support for land management measures. These measures will be brought together through England’s first Wildfire Action Plan, covering prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were employed by Suffolk Constabulary between (a) 2019 and July 2024 and (b) July 2024 and the most recent date for which figures are available.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, on a bi-annual basis, as at 31 March and 30 September each year in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.
Data for this release is collected at Police Force Area (PFA) level as a snapshot at 31 March and 30 September only. As such, data for Suffolk in July 2024 is not available.
The latest information covers the situation as at 31 March 2026. Information on the number of police officers broken down by PFA, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2026 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a58d48c7eb057103bd945ba/open-data-table-police-workforce-220726.ods.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many firefighters were deployed to tackle wildfires on land managed by the RSPB in 2026.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) does not hold data on the number of firefighters that were deployed to tackle wildfires on land managed by the RSPB in 2026.
MHCLG collects data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England through the Fire and Rescue Data Platform (FaRDaP). This includes information on the number of wildfires, with breakdowns by fire and rescue authority, month and outdoor location type, as well as information on the number of and types of fire and rescue service appliances used at wildfire. Provisional data on wildfires has been published in an ad hoc data release covering 1 April 2010 to 31 August 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
However, MHCLG does not hold data on the number of firefighters deployed to individual incidents, nor any information on land ownership or management for locations deployed to.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Broadland and Fakenham of 19 October 2026, Official Report, Column 760, whether it is the policy to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are committed to fully funding the Defence Investment Plan and meeting our NATO commitment of 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035. At the Spending Review, we will set the target date for 3%.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support is available to farmers affected by increased input costs and adverse weather conditions.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has committed £173 million in funding for 2026/2027 to improve productivity, trial new technologies and drive innovation in the agricultural sector to improve productivity, trial new technologies and drive innovation in the agricultural sector. This includes up to £70 £123 million available for Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) innovation grants.
In August, the Government announced a package of support for framers affected by adverse weather. This package included temporary adjustments to Environmental Land Management agreements, extra funding for the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 Window 2, and action and funding to make it easier to build reservoirs. Further details can be found at our Farming Blog: https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/15/new-drought-support-for-farmers/.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with Suffolk County Council and care providers in Suffolk on the financial sustainability of community and adult social care services, in the context of increases in employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Baroness Casey has made clear that one of the core purposes of the Big Conversation on Care that she is leading is to hear from people, families, carers, charities, care providers, and other organisations with direct, real-life experience of the pressures facing the current social care system, so she can reflect those experiences in her recommendations for reform. That includes local authorities and care providers in different regions.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that local authority commissioning rates in Suffolk take account of the impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on care providers.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Baroness Casey has made clear that one of the core purposes of the Big Conversation on Care that she is leading is to hear from people, families, carers, charities, care providers, and other organisations with direct, real-life experience of the pressures facing the current social care system, so she can reflect those experiences in her recommendations for reform. That includes local authorities and care providers in different regions.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on the availability and continuity of community support services in Suffolk.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Baroness Casey has made clear that one of the core purposes of the Big Conversation on Care that she is leading is to hear from people, families, carers, charities, care providers, and other organisations with direct, real-life experience of the pressures facing the current social care system, so she can reflect those experiences in her recommendations for reform. That includes local authorities and care providers in different regions.