Martin Wrigley

While publicly owned, Post Office Limited is a commercial business that operates at arm’s length from Government. The Post Office's transformation plan aims to put the Post Office on a more stable financial footing for the future, including by reducing costs, and to increase Postmaster remuneration. The details of the transformation plan are being examined by my Department, and the plan is subject to Government funding. The Post Office will continue to deliver on the 11,500 minimum branch requirement and geographical access criteria set by Government thereby ensuring that essential services remain within local reach of all citizens.

Longer term, Government has set out our plan to publish a Green Paper to consult with the public on the long-term future of the Post Office. This Green Paper will help inform what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office network.

Post Office is committed to engaging and supporting its customers and their representatives when it makes changes to the Post Office network. When proposing any branch change in the network, Post Office invites comment on access. Feedback is reviewed before Post Office makes a decision on whether to proceed with the original proposal or if mitigations are needed to any address concerns raised.

The Post Office faces a number of complex challenges. As set out on 13 November, Nigel Railton’s transformation plan aims to reduce Post Office’s central costs and deliver a real-terms increase in postmaster pay. As set out on 5 November, it is also important that Government has a clear vision for the future direction of the Post Office. The Department has appointed external consultants to develop options for the future remit, structure and ownership of the Post Office as well as to assess the options and recommendations made by Nigel Railton. Government plans to publish a Green Paper to seek views on a range of different proposals in the first half of 2025.

The future of the Holiday Activities and Food programme beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn. We will communicate the outcome in due course.

We have allocated the largest ever budget for sustainable food production through the farming budget. In the first week of December, we paid £343 million into the rural economy, benefiting more than 31,000 farmers. After unprecedented demand, parts of the Capital Grant have been temporarily closed. Protection and Infrastructure grants, Woodland Tree Health grants, Capital Grants plans, Woodland Management Plan and Higher Tier Capital Grants all remain open. We are reviewing the offer to ensure funding goes further to improve outcomes for food security and nature conservation and will provide an update in early 2025.

The Government has committed to support farmers through a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, including £2.4 billion in 2025/26. Accelerating the phase out of Direct Payments will allow us to focus more of this funding on Environmental Land Management schemes, which will boost nature and sustainable food production.

We publish regular statistics on farm income in England, including data earlier this year looking at how farm business income has changed since the start of the agricultural transition (Monitoring the agricultural transition period in England, 2022/23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)). This release will be updated in February 2025 with the 2024/24 data. On 14 November 2024, we published our Farm Business Income statistics (Farm business income - GOV.UK), which looked at how farm business income has changed in 2023/24, including the contribution of Direct Payments and agri-environment payments to farm incomes, including analysis by farm type.

Data relating to farm businesses are regularly published. Agriculture in the UK 2023 was published in June 2024. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance (Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK). These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK, and the contribution of farm payments to farm incomes, including analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure.

We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

Farmers are the backbone of Britain, and we recognise the strength of feeling expressed by farming and rural communities in recent weeks. We are steadfast in our commitment to Britain’s farming industry because food security is national security.

It's why we are investing £5 billion into farming over the next two years – the largest amount ever directed towards sustainable food production, rural economic growth and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing.

But with public services crumbling and a £22 billion fiscal hole that this Government inherited, we have taken difficult decisions. The reforms to Agricultural Property Relief ensure that wealthier estates and the most valuable farms pay their fair share to invest in our schools and health services that farmers and families in rural communities rely on.

On 12 November, we launched a public consultation on proposed reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. A core proposal of this consultation is to move the fixed dates of the bathing season from the Regulations into guidance. This would provide the flexibility to amend bathing season dates based on local context, and for the Environment Agency to monitor outside the current fixed dates of the Bathing Season. Following analysis of responses, the Government response to the consultation will set out the next steps of this work, including any amendments.

On the 24 September in New York, the Foreign Secretary announced the UK had endorsed the Bridge to Busan declaration to support greater ambition on addressing unsustainable levels of primary plastic production in the negotiations for a new treaty to end plastic pollution. Further information, including the full list of signatories to the Bridge to Busan declaration can be found at the following address: https://www.bridgetobusan.com.

Proposals for a fifth phase of the South West Rail Resilience Programme will be assessed against the criteria described in the document entitled ‘Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline - A New Approach for Rail Enhancements’ published in March 2018.

Decisions in relation to a phase five of the South West Rail Resilience Programme do not impact the cost of phase four, for which all physical works have now been completed.

Phase five is being considered as part of the Spending Review in 2025.

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, some issues, including with some carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.

There is a supply issue with all strengths of lamotrigine tablets, used to manage epilepsy, due to manufacturing issues. A supply issue with one of the strengths of lamotrigine tablets has recently resolved, and the remaining strengths are expected to resolve from early December 2024. Other manufacturers of lamotrigine tablets can meet the increased demand during this time.

The Department is aware of supply constraints with one supplier of amantadine 100mg capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s Disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover this demand.

The Department continues to work closely with industry, the NHS and others to help ensure patients continue to have access to an alternative treatment until their usual product is back in stock.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27, with around half of those being claims that involve AIM shares. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Police and Crime Commissioners play a vital local role acting as the voice of the public and victims in policing, holding Chief Constables to account and leading local partnerships to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.

The government will continue to work with PCCs and Chief Constables to set clear expectations for policing on performance and standards, ensuring that our communities have an effective and efficient police service within their force area.

In her Written Ministerial Statement of 19 November 2024 (HCWS232), the Home Secretary announced her intention to present a White Paper to Parliament next year on reforms to deliver more effective and efficient policing, to rebuild public confidence and to deliver the Government’s Safer Streets mission. This reform programme will be a collaborative endeavor with policing. Proposals will also consider how the PCC role can be strengthened, including an enhanced role to prevent crime.

It is for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to make decisions around appointing, suspending, and removing chief constables.

The College of Policing updated the national Guidance for Appointing Chief Officers in February 2024 to ensure fair and appropriate processes are followed in the appointment of chief officers in England and Wales. The College also offer a range of services to help PCCs with the recruitment and appointment process including help to maximise the pool of potential candidates, support with delivering a process in line with the national guidance and to sit on the appointment panel as a senior police advisor.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (Luke Pollard), on 27 November 2024 to Question 15649 to the hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts).

The Department's spend on research and development for financial year (FY) 2023-24 was £2.6 billion. Spend for the period in FY 2024-25 will be published in the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts after the end of this financial year.

Defence research and development remains critical to maximising the operational advantage of our Armed Forces in an increasingly volatile and technology-driven world. The Department is committed to investing in cutting edge science, technology and innovation.

Following the recent Autumn Budget announcement, the allocation of funding for the next 12 months is ongoing.

The Government has not published a map of England showing potential future devolution geographies.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.

This government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector and will announce its plans for the new Code in due course.

As referenced in the answer to Question UIN 17651 on 11 December 2024, the Government is required by the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 to publish a code of practice concerning guidance on the management of private parking facilities.

At this time the Government is not able to share any further details but hopes to announce its proposals for raising standards as soon as possible.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.

The Government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking industry and is currently reviewing all options on how to achieve this.

The Department works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis. This involves looking at a range of cost and demand data, as well as regular engagement with local authorities.

These engagements have informed the 2025-2026 Settlement, where the Government is providing over £10 billion in 2025-26 Settlement funding for social care through the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF), Better Care Fund (including discharge funding), Social Care Grant, Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and Children and Families Grant.

Local authorities are responsible for deciding how they use available funding to fulfil their duties under the Care Act (2014). The Department recognises the significant pressures that councils are facing and will ensure that councils are able to continue to deliver the services their communities rely on.

We will set out allocations at the provisional Settlement in December, on which we will consult, and we will continue to work closely with local government to review specific demand and cost pressures to ensure councils are supported in delivering essential services.