Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of Capital Grant Applications on (a) farm productivity and (b) food security.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the written Statement of 5 November 2024 on Post Office Update, HCWS184, what work the external consultants have done; and what account the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business and Trade took of that work in his statement of 13 November 2024 on Future of the Post Office, Official Report columns 806-807.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.