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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect moorland from wildfires.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to rewetting peatlands where it can reduce the likelihood of severe and sustained wildfire.

In 2025, we amended the Heather and Grass etc Burning (England) Regulations 2021, expanding restrictions on unnecessary burning practices, to enhance protection of upland deep peat and improve the resilience of our moorlands. Wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the impacts of wildfire and deliver benefits for biodiversity and water security.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to announce her decision on whether to apply the break clause for the Federated Data Platform contract with Palantir.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The supplier contract will be reviewed in line with standard contract management processes and the outcome will be announced in the normal way in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure a joined-up response to preventing avoidable deaths due to drowning.

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

Water safety is a cross-government issue involving a wide range of departments and organisations. In July, I convened a cross-government roundtable to strengthen collaboration, and we will continue working with partners to support water safety and help prevent avoidable drowning deaths.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour in rural towns and villages.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Every police force in England and Wales now has a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead who works with local communities and partners to implement anti-social behaviour action plans tailored to local needs and concerns. The ASB Action Plan for West Yorkshire Police can be found here: https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/abuse-anti-social-behaviour/anti-social-behaviour/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan.

Through the Crime and Policing Act, we are also strengthening the powers available to the police and local agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour, including the introduction of Respect Orders for persistent offenders, extending dispersal powers from 48 to 72 hours and increasing the maximum fixed penalty for breaching a Public Spaces Protection Order from £100 to £500. That means stronger consequences for behaviour that damages public spaces and local confidence.

We are also rebuilding neighbourhood policing, with additional investment in neighbourhood officers and PCSOs. With the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, now gets named and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to expand provision of police in semi-rural and rural areas.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

This Government is introducing the most radical and comprehensive policing reforms in nearly 200 years. This will support it to tackle cross-border crimes like wildlife crime and organised equipment theft, while also restoring neighbourhood policing.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means that every neighbourhood, including in rural areas, already has named, and contactable officers, dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally.

Every rural area will also be covered by a Local Policing Area under a commander responsible for emergency response, local crime investigation and neighbourhood policing. They will be set targets to ensure they answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds and attend 90% of the most serious incidents within 20 minutes in rural areas.

Found: Labour; Chelsea and Fulham) Dr Beccy Cooper (Labour; Worthing West) Jen Craft (Labour; Thurrock) Josh Fenton-Glynn

Found: Tuesday 19 May 2026 Members present: Layla Moran, in the Chair Danny Beales Josh Fenton-Glynn

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Layla Moran (Chair); Danny Beales; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton- Glynn;