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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers that were intending to apply for the Sustainable Farming incentive scheme.

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

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a two-year period.

Following the announcement that Defra has closed SFI for the submission of new applications, outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed.

SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

Funding from the farming budget also supports the provision of advice within the sector. The Farming Advice Service can assist farmers to review what advice and guidance is available to meet their business needs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 34688 on Parking: Private Sector, if she will list (a) the names of organisations from the private parking industry with whom (i) ministers and (ii) officials from her Department have held meetings since 5 July 2024, and (b) the dates on which each of those meetings took place.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As per my 19 March answer, I have not yet held any meetings with the private parking industry, these are to take place shortly. However, my officials have regular meetings with the industry stakeholders. The organisations and meeting dates that took place since the 5 of July 2024 are listed below:

• 23 July 2024 meeting with the International Parking Community (IPC);
• 22 August 2024 meeting with the British Parking Association (BPA);
• 08 October 2024 meeting with the BPA;
• 04 December 2024 joint meeting with the BPA & IPC;
• 10 December 2024 joint meeting with the BPA and IPC;
• 16 December 2024 meeting with Agena Group;
• 08 January 2025 meeting with the BPA;
• 14 January 2025 meeting with the BPA;
• 16 January 2025 meeting with the BPA;
• 28 January 2025 meeting with the IPC;
• 29 January 2025 joint meeting with the BPA and IPC;
• 6 February 2025 joint meeting with the BPA and IPC;
• 20 February 2025 joint meeting with the BPA and IPC;
• 25 February 2025 joint meeting with the BPA and IPC.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will review the adequacy of its policies on police forces supporting foreign jurisdictions, in the context of the case of Ali Kololo.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Our thoughts are with Mrs. Tebbutt and her family, Mr. Kololo and all those who have been affected by this terrible crime.

The operationally independent Metropolitan Police continue to progress matters relating to Mr. Kololo’s case.

Under Section 26 of the Police Act 1996, the Home Secretary is responsible for providing consent for the deployment of all serving police officers and staff from England & Wales forces overseas and where advice or assistance is being provided to a foreign agency. The Section 26 process is a rigorous process undertaken by officials across His Majesty’s Government exercising due diligence on any proposed Police deployments, including that assistance overseas meets the UK’s human rights obligations and values.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers through the agricultural transition following the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

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

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period.

Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for the submission of new applications, existing agreements will continue. Every penny in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed.

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer once the Spending Review has been completed.

Whilst we are developing the reformed SFI offer, other schemes will still be available.

SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

Funding from the farming budget also supports the provision of advice within the sector. The Farming Advice Service can assist farmers to review what advice and guidance is available to meet their business needs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers, in the context of the closing of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme.

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

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period.

Defra has closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for the submission of new applications, existing agreements will continue. Every penny in all existing SFI agreements will be paid to farmers, and outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed.

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer once the Spending Review has been completed.

Whilst we are developing the reformed SFI offer, other schemes will still be available.

SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

Funding from the farming budget also supports the provision of advice within the sector. The Farming Advice Service can assist farmers to review what advice and guidance is available to meet their business needs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to support upland farmers who were intending to move onto the Sustainable Farming Incentive following the closure of the scheme.

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

We fully recognise the importance of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for upland farmers – and we strongly want the scheme to be available to them as we move forward.

We have closed SFI for new applications because the current SFI budget has been successfully allocated, with large-scale uptake of the scheme and 37,000 live SFI agreements delivering towards our environmental targets.

We will be reforming the SFI offer to direct funding towards SFI actions which are most appropriate for the least productive land and have the strongest case for enduring public investment.

We expect to publish more information about the reformed SFI offer in summer 2025. This will include an indication of when we expect to re-open SFI for applications.

In the meantime, as announced on 25th February, we’re increasing HLS payment rates. We believe this uplift better reflects the contributions made by those with HLS agreements and will support the continued protection and management of these sites.

We will also open the rolling application window for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier this summer and have published information that sets out what upland farmers can do now to prepare to apply for CSHT.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the funding for the new National Biosecurity Centre is being paid for out of the agricultural budget which was previously committed to go towards farmers directly as public payments for public goods.

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

The Government has committed to setting up a new National Biosecurity Centre to transform the Animal and Plant Health Agency animal health facility at Weybridge, investing £200 million to improve our resilience against animal disease to protect farmers and food producers. This is funded from a budget separate from the record £5 billion of funding in the farming budget for this year and next.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on meeting environmental targets for (a) species abundance and (b) improving water quality.

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

We have paused the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) ahead of reforming it. This is the third time SFI has been paused. We will confirm plans for the reformed SFI in the summer and we expect that scheme to contribute to these outcomes. There are also tens of thousands of farmers in SFI for three years, supporting those outcomes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on (a) small farms, (b) upland farmers and (c) commoners.

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

We publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income. Farming evidence packs for example have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason his Department did not give six weeks’ notice when closing Sustainable Farming Incentive applications.

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

To ensure fair access, and to avoid the risk of overspend, we could not give any advance notice to avoid creating a sudden increase in the level of demand.

Whilst we aim to give notice where possible (and we are aware the application service mentioned this intention of 6 weeks’ notice), there was no requirement in the scheme rules for SFI24 for us to give any notice before we closed applications.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish details of all active export licences.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The status of an export license is subject to change at any time. Individual licences typically have expiry dates of 2 years (Standard Individual Export Licences) and 5 years (Open Individual Export Licences).

Export licensing information is published in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. They are available to view on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. This currently includes information up to 30 September 2024.

The next quarterly publication of official statistics in development covering export licensing decisions between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024 will take place in May 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/strategic-export-controls-licensing-statistics-1-october-to-31-december-2024?cachebust=1740739985.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what processes his Department has in place to monitor budgeted agriculture spend.

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

We monitor forecasts against the current year budget on an ongoing basis and respond accordingly to maximise the amount that can be delivered. We committed to spending £2.6 billion in 24/25 and are on track to deliver that having responded to a number of demands in year.

Furthermore, we have a full understanding of commitments into future years arising from multi-annual agreements. We monitor the uptake of our demand led schemes which have a budgetary impact on future years (such as SFI) on a regular basis, increasing the frequency of this as the level of commitment approaches the budget available in future years.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to return to budget management mechanisms from the Common Agricultural Policy.

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

No. The farming budget for each financial year is set through Government's Spending Reviews and managed by established in-year mechanisms.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will set a target date for reopening the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

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

We will be reforming the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer to direct funding towards SFI actions which are most appropriate for the least productive land and have the strongest case for enduring public investment.

We expect to publish more information about the reformed SFI offer in summer 2025. This will include an indication of when we expect to re-open SFI for applications.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning UK General Product Safety Regulations with those in the EU to remove the need for an EU Responsible Person when trading with the EU.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Amending the General Product Safety Regulations that apply in Great Britain to align with the EU’s new GPSR would not remove the requirement that exists for a Responsible Economic Operator based within the EU or Northern Ireland when trading with the EU.

The Responsible Economic Operator responsibilities can be fulfilled by the manufacturer, authorised representative appointed by the manufacturer, importer, or where none of these are based in the EU or Northern Ireland, the fulfilment service provider of the product. The Department’s Export Support Service provides help to businesses, including by signposting them to Responsible Economic Operator service providers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with farmers on the potential impact of changes to (a) basic payments, (b) the Sustainable Farming Initiative, (c) capital grants and (d) higher tier schemes on farming businesses.

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

The Secretary of State believes in the importance of continued engagement with the sector and has spoken with several farmers since his appointment. Defra ministers and officials will continue to work closely with the farming sector to develop and improve our offers to make sure they work for as many different farmers and land types as possible.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how long a period of notice was given to stakeholders before the closure of SFI.

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

To ensure fair access, and to avoid the risk of overspend, we could not give any advance notice to avoid creating a sudden increase in the level of demand.

Whilst we aim to give notice where possible (and we are aware the application service mentioned this intention of 6 weeks’ notice), there was no requirement in the scheme rules for SFI24 for us to give any notice before we closed applications.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the report by the Music Venue Trust entitled Annual Report 2024, published on 24 January 2025, on the potential impact of the reduction in business rate relief on (a) grassroots music venues and (b) jobs.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including grassroots music venues, with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much needed certainty and support. The Government intends to fund this by introducing a higher multiplier on all properties with a rateable value (RV) of £500,000 and above.

In the interim period, for 2025-26, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40% up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee’s report on grassroots music venues recommended that RHL relief should not be wholly withdrawn in April 2025. The Committee’s report also highlighted the sector's desire for certainty and long-term stability. As set out above, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties from 2026-27.

The Government’s full response to the CMS Committee’s report was published on 14 November 2024 and is available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8227/grassroots-music-venues/publications/.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing Business Rate Relief from 75% to 40% on Grassroots Music Venues.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including grassroots music venues, with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much needed certainty and support. The Government intends to fund this by introducing a higher multiplier on all properties with a rateable value (RV) of £500,000 and above.

In the interim period, for 2025-26, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40% up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business.

The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee’s report on grassroots music venues recommended that RHL relief should not be wholly withdrawn in April 2025. The Committee’s report also highlighted the sector's desire for certainty and long-term stability. As set out above, the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties from 2026-27.

The Government’s full response to the CMS Committee’s report was published on 14 November 2024 and is available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8227/grassroots-music-venues/publications/.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to changes to the Sustainable Farming Incentive, what support communications he plans to send to impacted farming businesses; and what support communications his Department plans to provide to organisations supporting vulnerable farmers.

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

A letter from Minister Zeichner was sent to all farm businesses on 12 March advising them of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive to new applications. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will be writing to impacted farm businesses shortly with more information on what this means for them. The RPA teams are also taking calls from concerned farmers, and they will continue to work with farmers on new and extant agreements.

The RPA works closely with farming welfare support organisations and will continue to engage with them through existing channels.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, further to his Department's policy paper, Government response to the independent review of protected site management on Dartmoor: full report, published 11 April 2024, if he will increase investment in agri-environmental funds for Dartmoor National Park.

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

In response to the independent review, Defra has set up the new Dartmoor Land Use Management Group (DLUMG). The group is now working to implement the 25 recommendations attributed to it in the government response.

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history. We remain committed to investing £5 billion of funding in the farming budget this year and next (£2.6 billion for 24/25 and the £2.4 billion for 25/26, as previously announced). We are on track to spend all the funding that is available.

We are supporting Dartmoor and other upland areas through a range of grants and schemes. We have extended the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme with an additional £30 million of funding. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year, and Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025. We continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome.

The budget for future years will be set in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that independent schools are subject to the same inspection standards as state-funded schools.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The regulatory regime for private schools, as set out in the 2008 Education and Skills Act, is based on compliance with the independent school standards, and failure can lead to a notice to improve, restrictions being placed on school operations or, following long-term or very serious failures, deregistration which requires closure. Private schools do not receive public funding, so are regulated to ensure that they provide a safe and suitable education as required by the independent school standards, whilst being able to operate as independent private businesses.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase in secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions to 15% on (a) care provider employees, (b) the contribution of the care sector to the economy and (c) the future long-term funding settlement for adult social care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2024. To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26 which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

The Casey Commission will make longer-term recommendations for the transformation of adult social care, and how to best create a fair and affordable adult social care system.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37398 on Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, will if she will respond to the email from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund after the spending review.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

A response to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on the adoption and special guardianship support fund was sent on 10 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 35454, whether he has made an assessment of the level of defence procurement can be moved to the UK from the US.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review will guide the Ministry of Defence's future investment priorities and will also shape the Defence Industrial Strategy. To support the UK’s Armed Forces we procure a diverse range of systems both domestically and in collaboration with our international allies and partners.

The United States is the United Kingdom's primary defence and security ally. Our collaboration in defence is mutually beneficial, and we maintain robust working partnerships in the areas of intelligence, nuclear, science and technology, and operations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2025 to Question 30796 on Childcare: Finance, if she will collect data from councils on (a) how childcare providers deliver entitlements and (b) how many and what proportion of childcare providers allow parents to stretch the 38 weeks of paid childcare to cover 52 weeks.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department collects data directly from childcare providers on how many deliver early years entitlements, and how these can be used by families.

For example, Table 7.5 of the most recent survey report, published in 2024, shows the proportion of providers where parents can use funded hours throughout the year, by entitlement. This can be found in the additional supporting files section at:
https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of ending enhanced payments for NHS nurses covering staff shortages on staffing levels at (a) Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, (b) North Devon District Hospital and (c) Torbay Hospital.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

These specific assessments have not been made.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade. This will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

It is the responsibility of local organisations to ensure they have the right numbers of staff with the right skills to deliver services, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies, including the management of any staff shortages. The Department does not hold information on any locally negotiated arrangements for enhanced payments that individual NHS organisations might offer as incentives to cover staff shortages.

The national provisions for payment of unsocial hours premia and overtime are set out in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. These provisions are specific to Agenda for Change staff and include nurses.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS nurses providing additional cover for staff shortages are adequately compensated.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

These specific assessments have not been made.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade. This will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

It is the responsibility of local organisations to ensure they have the right numbers of staff with the right skills to deliver services, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies, including the management of any staff shortages. The Department does not hold information on any locally negotiated arrangements for enhanced payments that individual NHS organisations might offer as incentives to cover staff shortages.

The national provisions for payment of unsocial hours premia and overtime are set out in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. These provisions are specific to Agenda for Change staff and include nurses.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of ending enhanced payments for NHS nurses covering staff shortages on the finances of nurses; and what estimate his Department has made of the potential change in agency staffing costs of ending those payments.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

These specific assessments have not been made.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade. This will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

It is the responsibility of local organisations to ensure they have the right numbers of staff with the right skills to deliver services, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies, including the management of any staff shortages. The Department does not hold information on any locally negotiated arrangements for enhanced payments that individual NHS organisations might offer as incentives to cover staff shortages.

The national provisions for payment of unsocial hours premia and overtime are set out in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. These provisions are specific to Agenda for Change staff and include nurses.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that ending enhanced payments for NHS nurses covering staff shortages does not increase reliance on agency staff.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

These specific assessments have not been made.

We will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade. This will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

It is the responsibility of local organisations to ensure they have the right numbers of staff with the right skills to deliver services, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies, including the management of any staff shortages. The Department does not hold information on any locally negotiated arrangements for enhanced payments that individual NHS organisations might offer as incentives to cover staff shortages.

The national provisions for payment of unsocial hours premia and overtime are set out in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. These provisions are specific to Agenda for Change staff and include nurses.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Q95 of the oral evidence given by the Chief of Policy of the Confederation of British Business to the Business and Trade Select Committee on 11 February 2025.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The EU is a significant trading partner for both goods and services. In the 12 months ending September 2024, the UK’s total trade with the EU was 5% below the level seen in 2018, after removing the effect of inflation and excluding precious metals. We will tackle barriers to trade to help drive investment, jobs and growth for both UK and EU economies, but we have been clear there will be no return to freedom of movement, the customs union or the single market.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate her Department has made of the contribution of the (a) brewery, (b) distillery and (b) pub sector to the UK economy in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Pubs, brewers and distillers make a significant contribution to our economy, which is recognised in the tax system. According to the Office for National Statistics' 2023 Business Register and Employment Survey, there were a) 14,000 people employed in distilling, rectifying and blending of spirits, b) 21,000 people employed in the manufacture of beer and c) 474,000 people employed in public houses and bars across Great Britain.

At Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.

The government will also consult on ways to encourage small brewers to retain and expand their access to UK pubs, maximising drinkers’ choice and local economies, including through provisions to enable more ‘guest beers’. Generosity of the discount available for small producers has also been increased.

Regarding Business Rates, the Chancellor confirmed her intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000, including pubs, from 2026-27. In the interim, the Government extended the current RHL relief for one year at 40%, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and freeze the small business multiplier for 2025-26.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps her Department is taking to support the growth of the (a) beer and (b) pub sector.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Pubs, brewers and distillers make a significant contribution to our economy, which is recognised in the tax system. According to the Office for National Statistics' 2023 Business Register and Employment Survey, there were a) 14,000 people employed in distilling, rectifying and blending of spirits, b) 21,000 people employed in the manufacture of beer and c) 474,000 people employed in public houses and bars across Great Britain.

At Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.

The government will also consult on ways to encourage small brewers to retain and expand their access to UK pubs, maximising drinkers’ choice and local economies, including through provisions to enable more ‘guest beers’. Generosity of the discount available for small producers has also been increased.

Regarding Business Rates, the Chancellor confirmed her intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000, including pubs, from 2026-27. In the interim, the Government extended the current RHL relief for one year at 40%, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and freeze the small business multiplier for 2025-26.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans his Department has to enable Ofcom to regulate poor customer service.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Ofcom’s principal duty, established by the Communications Act 2003, is to further the interests of citizens and consumers, and Ofcom sets its regulatory framework to promote good outcomes for consumers, in line with this duty.

For telecoms, Ofcom has a duty to set General Conditions with which communications providers must comply. These are published on Ofcom’s website and include conditions on complaints handling and dispute resolution. In addition to this, for example, Ofcom has introduced requirements to send end-of-contract notifications and published guidance to help providers support vulnerable consumers. Ofcom also publishes the Comparing Customer Service (CCS) report to show how customer service levels compare across the telecoms industry.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with (a) Connecting Devon and Somerset and (b) Airband on (i) resuming full-scale operations and (ii) the effectiveness of communications between the three parties.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Building Digital UK (BDUK) is working with both Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) and Airband to identify premises which will no longer be connected via its Superfast contracts for the area. Premises that have been descoped from the Airband contracts and are not in any commercial plans are now eligible for support through Project Gigabit.

However, approximately 6,000 premises across the area are likely to remain in scope of Airband’s subsidised delivery. The supplier expects to resume this work in June and complete it by the end of 2027. BDUK is in regular contact with both parties to monitor this delivery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 36892 on Prostate Cancer: Health Services, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) time taken and (b) effectiveness of treatment delivered for patents diagnosed with prostate cancer in Devon.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Routine Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing is not offered on the National Health Service, although men aged 50 years old or over can ask their general practitioner for a PSA test, even if they do not have symptoms. This applies to anyone aged 50 years old or over in any part of England.

The NHS England Cancer Programme has commissioned clinical cancer audits, including for prostate cancer, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary. These audits will help NHS England understand where to increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The audits are ongoing and will act on their findings in due course.

However, we recognise that patients are often waiting longer than they should for cancer treatment and services. The National Cancer Plan will highlight how we will improve diagnosis rates and the effectiveness of treatment for people across England, including in Devon.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 36892 on Prostate Cancer: Health Services, if he will take steps to provide (a) faster and (b) wider availability for prostate-specific antigen tests in Devon.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Routine Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing is not offered on the National Health Service, although men aged 50 years old or over can ask their general practitioner for a PSA test, even if they do not have symptoms. This applies to anyone aged 50 years old or over in any part of England.

The NHS England Cancer Programme has commissioned clinical cancer audits, including for prostate cancer, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary. These audits will help NHS England understand where to increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The audits are ongoing and will act on their findings in due course.

However, we recognise that patients are often waiting longer than they should for cancer treatment and services. The National Cancer Plan will highlight how we will improve diagnosis rates and the effectiveness of treatment for people across England, including in Devon.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on determining the level of funding allocated for each EHC plan.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

If a pupil’s education, health and care plan requires a school to make provision that goes beyond the support that the school is expected to make available ordinarily from its core funding, the local authority provides the school with top-up funding from its high needs budget for the excess costs. The department provides operational guidance to local authorities on the arrangements for administering such high needs funding. The guidance for the 2025/26 financial year can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2025-to-2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued on the use of third-party consultants by local authorities to (a) assess and (b) re-assess EHC plans.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is effective coordination of education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and the development process for an EHC plan.

Practitioners in all services involved in the assessment and planning process need to be skilled in working with children, parents and young people who help them make informed decisions.

The department has not issued specific guidance regarding the use of third-party consultants by local authorities to assess and re-assess EHC plans. This is because it is the responsibility of the local authority to determine the most appropriate way to obtain the relevant and required information and expertise for an EHC needs assessment whilst ensuring that they still adhere to criteria set out in existing legislation and guidance, such as the special educational needs and disability code of practice and in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. The code of practice can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25. The Regulations can be accessed at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the change in the weekly rate of Statuary Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance from April 2025 on child poverty in Devon.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Maternity pay is primarily a health and safety provisions for pregnant working women. It is not, and has never been, intended to replace a woman's earnings completely, nor is it intended to help with the cost of having a baby. Rather it provides a measure of financial security to help pregnant working women take time off work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth.

Parental pay is only one element of the support available for parents. Depending on individual circumstances, additional financial support, for example, Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy which will deliver lasting change. The causes of child poverty are deep-rooted and complex, and the Taskforce is exploring all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.

Statistics on child poverty are published annually in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics publication, available here: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK. The data is only available at regional level.

Constituency level data is published in the Children in low income families: local area statistics publication, but due the methodological differences, these poverty statistics are not comparable to those from the HBAI publication and are only available on a before housing costs basis (BHC).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to increase (a) Statutory Maternity Pay and (b) Maternity Allowance beyond the rate of inflation over the next four years.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefits and State Pensions, including Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance. She announced her decision from the latest review of benefits in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 30 October. From April 2025, the rate will increase by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.

Government spends approximately £3 billion a year on parental payments. Any changes to the system would need to consider the needs of parents, the availability of resources and the impact on employers, and be made in consultation with businesses and stakeholders. Parental pay is only one element of the support available for parents. Depending on individual circumstances, additional financial support, for example, Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to increase (a) salaries for and (b) retention of teaching assistants in Devon.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce, which is why we are reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) through the Employment Rights Bill, introduced in Parliament on 10 October 2024.

The SSSNB will mean that employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, to ensure that support staff are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do. The SSSNB will also be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and advising on suitable training and career progression routes that recognise the varied and vital roles support staff undertake.

The SSSNB will help address the recruitment and retention challenges state-funded schools are facing for support staff. This in turn will support work to drive high and rising standards in schools and ensure we give children the best possible life chances.

To support schools with overall costs, this government committed to providing almost £1.1 billion in additional funding in the 2024/25 financial year. Further to this, at the Autumn Budget 2024 the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and children and young people with high needs for 2025/26, compared to 2024/25.

Most school support staff, including teaching assistants, are currently employed on National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services pay and conditions. The NJC is a negotiating body made up of representatives from trade unions and local government employers. Local government employees covered by the NJC for local government services pay and conditions were offered a flat cash uplift of £1,290 from 1 April 2024. In October 2024 an agreement was reached on the 2024/25 pay award for these employees, which covers the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a vital role in children’s education. There are 282,925 full-time equivalent TAs in state-funded schools in England – up by approximately 1,800 since last year. The number of TAs has increased year on year since 2017/18.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide wage support to the lowest paid teaching (a) staff and (b) assistants in SEND schools in Devon.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce, which is why we are reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) through the Employment Rights Bill, introduced in Parliament on 10 October 2024.

The SSSNB will mean that employers and employee representatives come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, to ensure that support staff are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do. The SSSNB will also be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and advising on suitable training and career progression routes that recognise the varied and vital roles support staff undertake.

The SSSNB will help address the recruitment and retention challenges state-funded schools are facing for support staff. This in turn will support work to drive high and rising standards in schools and ensure we give children the best possible life chances.

To support schools with overall costs, this government committed to providing almost £1.1 billion in additional funding in the 2024/25 financial year. Further to this, at the Autumn Budget 2024 the government announced an additional £2.3 billion for mainstream schools and children and young people with high needs for 2025/26, compared to 2024/25.

Most school support staff, including teaching assistants, are currently employed on National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services pay and conditions. The NJC is a negotiating body made up of representatives from trade unions and local government employers. Local government employees covered by the NJC for local government services pay and conditions were offered a flat cash uplift of £1,290 from 1 April 2024. In October 2024 an agreement was reached on the 2024/25 pay award for these employees, which covers the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a vital role in children’s education. There are 282,925 full-time equivalent TAs in state-funded schools in England – up by approximately 1,800 since last year. The number of TAs has increased year on year since 2017/18.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to reform the Personal Independence Payment on (a) disabled parents and (b) parents of disabled children.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course. Many parents of disabled children will welcome the proposed increase from 16 to 18 in the age of transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that disabled people are adequacy supported through the benefits assessment process.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is important that all claimants to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are able to access our services and that they do not face obstacles in applying and communicating with the Department and its providers. We have a variety of reasonable adjustments to make the claims process and communications easier for some of our most vulnerable customers.

The process is kept under continual review to ensure it meets the needs of claimants and helps the Department provide an accurate assessment of an individual’s entitlement. Since PIP was created, the Department has introduced, for example, dial-in-for third parties, a digital PIP 2 questionnaire and evidence upload function, email as a reasonable adjustment and telephone and video assessments in addition to paper-based and face-to-face assessments.

In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we outline plans to improve the experience for people who use the health and disability benefits system, including exploring ways to use evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for some people with very severe conditions to undergo a full PIP functional assessment.

Over the longer term, the Health Transformation Programme is modernising health and disability benefit services to improve the customer experience. The Programme will transform the entire PIP service, introducing an option to apply and track applications online.

We are exploring a case management model - a personalised approach for customers from initial contact through to the end of the application, including signposting to other benefits and services. This approach will help the Programme to better understand our customers, tailor their service, and help to build customer confidence and trust that their case is being progressed appropriately.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to reform the Personal Independence Payment on (a) adults with (i) ADHD and (ii) autism and (b) other neurodivergent adults.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course. The Government is determined to improve the low current employment rate among neurodivergent adults.

A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tightening the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment on the ability of disabled people to afford their costs.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a contribution to the extra costs of being disabled. We have set out plans to introduce a new eligibility requirement in PIP so that people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity in PIP to be eligible for the daily living component.

We are mindful of the impact of this change, as such, in the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

Information on the impacts of tightening the eligibility criteria will be published in due course. A further programme of analysis to support development of the measure will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the spend on the agriculture budget (a) so far this financial year and (b) committed for 2025-26 including (i) delinked payments, (ii) agri-environment schemes and (iii) animal health and welfare, innovation and productivity grants.

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

The information requested can be found publicly available here.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to amend the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment for (a) carers and (b) children.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have set out plans to introduce a new eligibility requirement in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) so that people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity in PIP to be eligible for the daily living component.

PIP is open to new claims from the age of 16 and over. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we consult on whether this age should be raised to 18 or higher. The changes do not therefore apply to children. The PIP eligibility criteria apply directly to people with long-term health conditions and disabilities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Tribunals statistics quarterly; October to December 2024 report, published 13 March 2025, if he will make an assessment of trends in the number of PIP appeals overturned in favour of the claimant.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The PIP appeal overturn rate is 67%. It has remained stable around this rate since the second quarter of 2021/22.

For initial decisions between October 2019 and September 2024 (the latest 5-year period), 3.3 million initial decisions following a PIP assessment have been made and, by December 2024, 4% have been cleared at tribunal hearing and 3% have been overturned at a tribunal hearing.

It is our aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. To support this, we have made improvements to our decision-making processes to help ensure people get the support they are entitled to without needing to appeal. This includes giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers if they think additional evidence may support the claim.

We recognise that the overturn rate at appeal is high. This is why we are continuing to learn from appeal outcomes. We regularly gather feedback on appeals from Presenting Officers who attend tribunals.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether anyone in receipt of Limited Capability for Work and Work-related Activity benefits will receive reduced levels of payments following the reforms announced in her Oral Ministerial Statement on 18 March 2025.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

To address the fundamental imbalance between the health top up and standard allowance of UC, we will legislate to take a decisive step to reset payment rates in UC over this Parliament, starting from April 2026.

For people who already receive the UC health element the rate of the UC health element will be frozen until 2029/2030 but this group will receive an increased UC entitlement in cash terms as a result of the increased standard allowance.

We will lower the rate of UC health for new claims from April 2026 – alongside increasing the standard allowance – to reduce the incentive to define yourself as unfit to work, while still providing a higher rate of benefit for disabled people and those with health conditions with extra costs.

For those receiving the new reduced UC health element after April 2026, we are proposing that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who have no prospect of improvement and will never be able to work, will see their incomes protected through an additional premium.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the role of the Personal Independence Payment in enabling work.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Personal Independence Payment is not means-tested, it is payable in addition to any other income received and is available to people whether they are in work or not.

This Government wants to alleviate people’s worries around trying work. The Pathways to Work Green Paper published this week sets out our plan to remove barriers to trying work. We will legislate to give people the confidence to try work and ensure that working will not, in and of itself, trigger an award review in PIP, removing the perceived risk of trying work whilst on benefits.

We are also consulting to understand what more can be done to ensure the benefit system supports people to try work without the worry that it may affect their benefit entitlement.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the EU General Product Safety Regulation on costs to UK businesses (a) before and (b) after the UK left the EU.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is not required to make an assessment of the costs to businesses of the EU GPSR. The UK already enjoys a high level of product safety. The updated GPSR therefore largely formalises the reality of how businesses are already operating across the UK, and UK businesses will often already be going further than many of these requirements.

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 the Sustainable Farming Initiative on food security.

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

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period. Farm businesses with existing Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements or submitted applications will see no change to their payments due to the announced closure of SFI. Forecasts published this week suggest that at the all-farm level agri-environment scheme payments are predicted to have increased substantially in 24/25.

Food security requires a long-term picture of resilience to shocks while the closure of SFI is a temporary measure, 30,000 businesses are already being supported through SFI with more in other schemes and will be for the next three years

Now is the right time for a reset: supporting farmers, delivering for nature and targeting public funds fairly and effectively towards our priorities for food, farming and nature.

This Government has recently announced a raft of new policies to help boost profits for farmers which will support continued food security. The revised capital grants will be reopened, providing access to items which boost farm productivity. We are extending the Seasonal Worker visa route for five more years, backing British produce in government catering contracts, and investing £110 million in agri-technology. A new commissioner for the tenant farming sector will be appointed, and a veterinary agreement with the EU will be sought to ease export red tape. The government will also protect farmers from low welfare trade deals and lower energy bills by connecting renewable energy to the National Grid.

Other measures include a land-use framework for food security and nature recovery, a Cross-Government Rural Crime Strategy, and a British Infrastructure Council to drive private investment in rural areas.

The Government is also committed to making the supply chain fairer, with upcoming reviews on the pig, egg, poultry, and fresh produce sectors.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) reopen and (b) ringfence funding for the (i) Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship and (ii) Landscape Recovery scheme in Devon.

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

The 56 projects in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Landscape Recovery scheme will be continuing. Plans for any further rounds will be announced in due course.

On 11 December 2024, we launched the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier with applications opening this summer.

To support farmers, we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years – more money than ever for sustainable food production.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 35862 on Beer: Excise Duties, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of variations in (a) beer and (b) other alcohol taxation policy in the (i) UK and (ii) Europe.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside the changes to alcohol duty announced at Autumn Budget. This is available here: Alcohol Duty uprating - GOV.UK

As with all taxes, the Government keeps alcohol duty rates under review during its Budget process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35451 on USA: Defence, what information his Department holds on (a) spending on the procurement of defence-related (i) items and (ii) services from the US and (b) projected defence spending on US (A) goods, (B) services and (C) land rents in the next five years.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department does hold information relating to contract duration, spend to date, and total contract value, which could allow for basic modelling. However, information to identify projected spending over the next five years with US suppliers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what equipment his Department has procured from the United States for the armed forces since 1 January 2024.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department does hold information relating to contract duration, spend to date, and total contract value, which could allow for basic modelling. However, information to identify projected spending over the next five years with US suppliers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research her Department has conducted on the effectiveness of lighter-touch testing compared to mandatory SATs in assessing pupil progress.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Key stage 2 assessments are essential to check all pupils’ progress in mastering the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. They are also essential to identify any children who may need extra support and prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school. The assessments help teachers identify where pupils need more support in comparison to national expectations. They also allow the department to hold schools to account to ensure they support all pupils, regardless of background or prior attainment, to achieve sufficient progress and attainment, helping secure high and rising standards.

It is important that schools encourage their pupils to do their best in the tests, however, the department does not recommend that pupils in primary school devote excessive preparation time for the assessment and not at the expense of their mental health and wellbeing.

Our independent Curriculum and Assessment Review panel have been clear that SATs assessments are an important part of assessing children’s progress throughout primary school, and that the system of primary assessment is currently working well. As the Review moves into its second phase, it will consider how to build on effective systems to support the attainment of all children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of mandatory SATs on pupil wellbeing and teacher workload; and whether her Department has considered adopting moderated teacher assessments as an alternative.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Key stage 2 assessments are essential to check all pupils’ progress in mastering the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. They are also essential to identify any children who may need extra support and prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school. The assessments help teachers identify where pupils need more support in comparison to national expectations. They also allow the department to hold schools to account to ensure they support all pupils, regardless of background or prior attainment, to achieve sufficient progress and attainment, helping secure high and rising standards.

It is important that schools encourage their pupils to do their best in the tests, however, the department does not recommend that pupils in primary school devote excessive preparation time for the assessment and not at the expense of their mental health and wellbeing.

Our independent Curriculum and Assessment Review panel have been clear that SATs assessments are an important part of assessing children’s progress throughout primary school, and that the system of primary assessment is currently working well. As the Review moves into its second phase, it will consider how to build on effective systems to support the attainment of all children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce teaching to the test in primary schools to improve pupils' (a) engagement and (b) learning outcomes.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Key stage 2 assessments are essential to check all pupils’ progress in mastering the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. They are also essential to identify any children who may need extra support and prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school. The assessments help teachers identify where pupils need more support in comparison to national expectations. They also allow the department to hold schools to account to ensure they support all pupils, regardless of background or prior attainment, to achieve sufficient progress and attainment, helping secure high and rising standards.

It is important that schools encourage their pupils to do their best in the tests, however, the department does not recommend that pupils in primary school devote excessive preparation time for the assessment and not at the expense of their mental health and wellbeing.

Our independent Curriculum and Assessment Review panel have been clear that SATs assessments are an important part of assessing children’s progress throughout primary school, and that the system of primary assessment is currently working well. As the Review moves into its second phase, it will consider how to build on effective systems to support the attainment of all children.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of Ofsted inspections on teacher (a) wellbeing and (b) retention in the past five years.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2024, Ofsted conducted its Big Listen, which was the largest consultation in its history, receiving more than 20,000 responses. It listened to the views of a wide range of parents, teachers, school leaders and others about the impact of inspection and where change was needed. Ofsted published its ‘Big Listen action monitoring report’ in December 2024 to show what progress it has made in responding to feedback from parents, pupils and education staff and an updated report was published earlier this month. It can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/big-listen-action-monitoring-reports.

In February 2025, the department and Ofsted launched public consultations on proposals for a better accountability system. Ofsted’s consultation includes proposals for a revised school inspection framework, with the outcomes of inspection presented in a report card. The report card will cover key areas, including the school’s curriculum and pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. Ofsted has proposed a new role of ‘Nominee’, a member of staff who works closely with the inspection team, with the intention of making the inspection event more of a professional dialogue.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the \(a) accuracy and (b) breadth of school performance indicators to ensure they reflect (i) pupil wellbeing and (ii) teacher satisfaction alongside academic outcomes.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department currently publishes school and college performance data on its compare school and college performance service. This service can be accessed at: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/.

The department continues to keep the performance measures published on compare school and college performance under review. We draw on a range of data, including school censuses and Individualised Learner Records, and data submitted directly by Awarding Organisations. We carry out extensive validation and quality assurance checks on the data as well as the resulting performance measures.

The department is currently consulting on school accountability reform. This includes a proposal to introduce school profiles, an accessible one-stop shop for information on schools, incorporating new Ofsted report cards but also presenting a range of up-to-date performance data and other information that matters to parents, all in one place. We are inviting views on which information we should include on school profiles, which could include, for example, school workforce information or information about pupil wellbeing. The consultation on school accountability reform is inviting responses until 28 April 2025 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-accountability-reform.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of including (a) pupil wellbeing and (b) staff retention data in school performance tables.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department currently publishes school and college performance data on its compare school and college performance service. This service can be accessed at: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/.

The department continues to keep the performance measures published on compare school and college performance under review. We draw on a range of data, including school censuses and Individualised Learner Records, and data submitted directly by Awarding Organisations. We carry out extensive validation and quality assurance checks on the data as well as the resulting performance measures.

The department is currently consulting on school accountability reform. This includes a proposal to introduce school profiles, an accessible one-stop shop for information on schools, incorporating new Ofsted report cards but also presenting a range of up-to-date performance data and other information that matters to parents, all in one place. We are inviting views on which information we should include on school profiles, which could include, for example, school workforce information or information about pupil wellbeing. The consultation on school accountability reform is inviting responses until 28 April 2025 and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-accountability-reform.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure Ofsted inspections place greater emphasis on (a) pupil wellbeing, (b) creative subjects and (c) social development.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2024, Ofsted conducted its Big Listen, which was the largest consultation in its history, receiving more than 20,000 responses. It listened to the views of a wide range of parents, teachers, school leaders and others about the impact of inspection and where change was needed. Ofsted published its ‘Big Listen action monitoring report’ in December 2024 to show what progress it has made in responding to feedback from parents, pupils and education staff and an updated report was published earlier this month. It can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/big-listen-action-monitoring-reports.

In February 2025, the department and Ofsted launched public consultations on proposals for a better accountability system. Ofsted’s consultation includes proposals for a revised school inspection framework, with the outcomes of inspection presented in a report card. The report card will cover key areas, including the school’s curriculum and pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. Ofsted has proposed a new role of ‘Nominee’, a member of staff who works closely with the inspection team, with the intention of making the inspection event more of a professional dialogue.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered replacing Ofsted with a new HM Inspector of Schools with a (a) revised inspection framework and (b) assessments of (i) staff and (ii) pupil wellbeing.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

In 2024, Ofsted conducted its Big Listen, which was the largest consultation in its history, receiving more than 20,000 responses. It listened to the views of a wide range of parents, teachers, school leaders and others about the impact of inspection and where change was needed. Ofsted published its ‘Big Listen action monitoring report’ in December 2024 to show what progress it has made in responding to feedback from parents, pupils and education staff and an updated report was published earlier this month. It can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/big-listen-action-monitoring-reports.

In February 2025, the department and Ofsted launched public consultations on proposals for a better accountability system. Ofsted’s consultation includes proposals for a revised school inspection framework, with the outcomes of inspection presented in a report card. The report card will cover key areas, including the school’s curriculum and pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. Ofsted has proposed a new role of ‘Nominee’, a member of staff who works closely with the inspection team, with the intention of making the inspection event more of a professional dialogue.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34339 on Fisheries: civil servants, if he will assign civil servants to work on trade and co-operation agreements with the fishing industry.

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

Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is the title of the 2020 agreement between the United Kingdom and European Union rather than a generic concept which Defra works on with the fishing industry. In respect of whether the Government will assign civil servants to work on aspects of the UK-EU TCA affecting the fishing industry, I ref the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Torbay on 6 March 2025, 34339.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will provide funding to support the electrification of UK fishing fleets.

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

The UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions programme in the Department for Transport has opened a round of funding for feasibility studies and pre-deployment trials into clean maritime solutions, with fishing vessels in scope.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to provide adequate funding for the warm homes local grant.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

£500 million has been allocated as part of the Autumn Budget for the Warm Homes: Local Grant to be delivered from 2025 to 2028 by eligible local authorities in England. Allocations of this funding to local authorities that expressed an interest in participating in delivering the scheme were announced on 11^th March. Details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/warm-homes-local-grant-successful-local-authorities/warm-homes-local-grant-successful-local-authorities

Future funding towards decarbonisation and to tackle fuel poverty will be considered as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will conclude in late Spring 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39206 on Personal Independence Payment: Neurodiversity, if she will make it her policy to maintain the level of the Personal Independence Payment for (a) neurodivergent people and (b) people with severe mental distress.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Our intention is that the new eligibility requirement in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in which people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component, will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.

The PIP assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. Therefore, the impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances. From November 2026, at their next award review, people will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance. More information on the impacts and equality analysis for these changes published on 26 March can be found: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of abolishing the lower standard rate of Universal Credit for under 25s.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are no current plans to remove the under 25 Standard Allowance rate. Young people in work typically earn less than those over 25 and are also more likely to live in someone else’s household, with lower living costs.

A reduced Universal Credit rate maintains the incentive for young people to find, and progress in, work, as we continue to support them into employment and to improve their career opportunities. Support is available to help those who live independently or have additional living costs. Depending on their circumstances, they may also be eligible for additional Universal Credit elements, including for housing, children, childcare costs, and disability.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) beer and (b) pub sector to increase (i) economic growth and (ii) business investment in the context of his industrial strategy.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Hospitality businesses, including pubs and breweries, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.

The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the (a) brewery and distillery and (b) pub sector to (i) economic growth and (ii) job creation.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Hospitality businesses, including pubs and breweries, are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in supporting economic growth across the UK.

The Government is creating a fairer business rate system, reducing alcohol duty on qualifying draught products and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunities. This work will be supported by the publication of The Small Business Strategy Command Paper which will be published later this year. Through the Hospitality Sector Council, we are addressing strategic issues for the sector related to high street regeneration, skills, sustainability, and productivity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of nurses on a bursary unable to find nursing jobs after graduating.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold the information requested.

Beer festivals 2025

Israeli Defence Force attacks on humanitarian workers

Festival Medical Services and Ukraine

Disability hate crime

Scams and fraud

Support for the World Health Organization

Ensuring stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

Snares

Sale of caged hens’ eggs

Found: present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Steve Race; Adam Thompson; Martin Wrigley

Found: present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Steve Race; Adam Thompson; Martin Wrigley

Found: Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Jon Pearce; Steve Race; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Martin Wrigley

Found: _NC7 Steff Aquarone Claire Young Martin Wrigley Jamie Stone Brian Mathew Alison Bennett Steve Darling

Found: _NC7 Steff Aquarone Claire Young Martin Wrigley Jamie Stone Brian Mathew .

Found: Western Mrs Sharon Hodgson Nadia Whittome Josh Fenton-Glynn Abtisam Mohamed Jess Asato Martin Wrigley

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into the role of science diplomacy and research and development (R&D) in supporting the UK Government’s growth missions, enhancing the UK’s international influence, and contributing to national security. Science diplomacy encompasses the political support for science in an international context, cross-border research collaborations, science advice for global policymaking, and public engagement activities.