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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the forthcoming Horticulture Strategy will include measures to increase domestic production and consumption of pulses.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to our horticulture and arable sectors and their role in providing home‑grown produce helping to feed the nation. The Horticulture Sector Plan is an independent sector led plan aiming to identify how the sector can increase productivity, profitability and strengthen the contribution of domestic production to our national food security.  The plan is relying on sector expertise to set out a clear vision for growth and a practical pathway to deliver it. Fresh peas and green beans grown as horticultural crops are in scope. While pulses cultivated as arable crops are outside scope, they are a vital part of domestic agricultural production. Lessons learned from current sector plans will help inform future rollout to other sectors.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve transparency in sustainability-linked lending by requiring companies and financial institutions to publish the key performance indicators, targets and independent verification used to assess eligibility for sustainability-linked loans.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate sustainable finance framework that supports market integrity and economic growth.

Decisions to provide banking services to individual businesses, including through sustainability-linked lending, are commercial decisions for providers. Firms have strict obligations to ensure the legitimacy of a business and protect against financial crime. The Government is committed to regulating business banking only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid higher costs for lenders that would ultimately flow through to businesses.

The Government is strengthening its approach to tackling deforestation in UK supply chains and announced in June 2026 that it intends to bring forward new regulations in this area. The Government will then review the regulatory framework for tackling deforestation-linked finance within nine months of those regulations being made.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) staff turnover rate, (b) vacancy rate and (c) average time taken to fill vacancies was for frontline operational and regulatory delivery roles in the Forestry Commission in each of the last three years.

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

The Forestry Commission’s staff turnover rate for frontline operational and regulatory delivery roles was 16.08% in 2023-24, 13.77% in 2024-25 and 13.79% in 2025-26. Vacancy rate information for these roles is not held. Information on the average time taken to fill vacancies for these roles is only available for 2025-26 and was 87.5 days (12.5 weeks).

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 or the Forestry Commission will submit a pay flexibility business case in relation to Forestry Commission staff under the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance 2026-27 before the 31 October 2026 deadline.

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

The Forestry Commission has no plans to submit a pay flexibility business case under the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance 2026-27 before the 31 October 2026 deadline.

Subject to trade union negotiations, the Forestry Commission intends to implement the standard 3.5% pay award from 1 October 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the forthcoming poultry growth strategy will support a transition away from intensive animal agriculture towards prioritising animal welfare, environmental and public health.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Poultry Sector Growth Plan is being developed by industry, with Government acting as a convenor and supporting the process. It is intended to identify how the sector can improve productivity, profitability and resilience while operating within the UK's environmental, planning, animal welfare and regulatory framework. Any proposals emerging from the plan would continue to be subject to existing planning, environmental and regulatory requirements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to establish a baseline regulatory framework for setting and assessing sustainability performance targets in sustainability-linked lending, replacing the current use of voluntary industry standards.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate sustainable finance framework that supports market integrity and economic growth.

Decisions to provide banking services to individual businesses, including through sustainability-linked lending, are commercial decisions for providers. Firms have strict obligations to ensure the legitimacy of a business and protect against financial crime. The Government is committed to regulating business banking only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid higher costs for lenders that would ultimately flow through to businesses.

The Government is strengthening its approach to tackling deforestation in UK supply chains and announced in June 2026 that it intends to bring forward new regulations in this area. The Government will then review the regulatory framework for tackling deforestation-linked finance within nine months of those regulations being made.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that sustainability-linked loans provided by UK banks do not support companies associated with illegal deforestation or environmental harm overseas.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate sustainable finance framework that supports market integrity and economic growth.

Decisions to provide banking services to individual businesses, including through sustainability-linked lending, are commercial decisions for providers. Firms have strict obligations to ensure the legitimacy of a business and protect against financial crime. The Government is committed to regulating business banking only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid higher costs for lenders that would ultimately flow through to businesses.

The Government is strengthening its approach to tackling deforestation in UK supply chains and announced in June 2026 that it intends to bring forward new regulations in this area. The Government will then review the regulatory framework for tackling deforestation-linked finance within nine months of those regulations being made.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help reduce energy costs for businesses.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We recognise that energy costs remain a challenge. Our British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will support over 10,000 businesses, cutting electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour, alongside the British Industry Supercharger’s enhanced support for our most electricity-intensive firms.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, when he expects the Competition and Marketing Authority Report on the Pubs Code to be published.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The UK Government published the third statutory review of the Pubs Code and the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) covering 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025 on 14 September 2026.

The review concluded that the Pubs Code is operating consistently with its two core statutory principles: fair and lawful dealing by large pub-owning businesses (POBs), and ensuring tied tenants are not worse off than if they were free of their tie.

The review is a statutory obligation of the Pubs Code and completed every 3 years by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

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's position in future fisheries negotiations, including on catch limits, will be consistent with the best available scientific advice on sustainable fishing levels.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I am committed to an evidence-based approach to fisheries management. The UK will continue to use the best available scientific advice to inform our negotiating positions. These positions will also account for our obligations under the Fisheries Act 2020.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the process for assessing applications for future Modern Service Frameworks will be published.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Modern service frameworks define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The first wave of priorities has included cardiovascular disease, sepsis, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.

Progress on these frameworks is at different stages. Some have already been delivered, namely sepsis and cardiovascular disease, with the Government expecting the remainder of the initial wave to be delivered before the end of 2026 or in 2027.

The Government has asked the National Quality Board to consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, based on an assessment of the potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. We will update Parliament on the results of that process in the usual way in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her department has made toward the development of a youth homelessness toolkit and dedicated youth homelessness chapter in The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department has engaged with local authorities and youth homelessness sector organisations in the development of the new youth chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance and the youth homelessness prevention toolkit. The new youth chapter was published on 30 September 2026 and is available here.

We intend to publish the youth homelessness prevention toolkit in due course. In developing the toolkit, the Department has also engaged with young people with lived experience of homelessness to ensure the toolkit is informed by their experiences and insights.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether opportunities will be available for charities and third sector organisations to contribute to the drafting of the youth homelessness toolkit and dedicated youth homelessness chapter in The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department has engaged with local authorities and youth homelessness sector organisations in the development of the new youth chapter in the Homelessness Code of Guidance and the youth homelessness prevention toolkit. The new youth chapter was published on 30 September 2026 and is available here.

We intend to publish the youth homelessness prevention toolkit in due course. In developing the toolkit, the Department has also engaged with young people with lived experience of homelessness to ensure the toolkit is informed by their experiences and insights.