Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the risk to the Pretoria Agreement from renewed hostilities in Tigray; and what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help protect displaced and other conflict-affected communities.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is deeply concerned by the renewed conflict in northern Ethiopia and the implications across the Horn of Africa. We have called on all parties to end hostilities, respect international humanitarian law, allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and return to dialogue under African Union-led mediation.
The principles of the Pretoria agreement are fundamental to sustainable peace in Tigray. Ministers and senior officials have engaged with all parties to call for restraint and de-escalation. We are also coordinating closely with the African Union, United Nations and international partners. We call on all parties to protect civilians, including women and girls, and comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law. On 23 October, our Ambassador to Ethiopia publicly welcomed the stated intention of the new caretaker administration in Tigray to restore basic services and enable elections and said that delivering on these ambitions will help create the conditions for future stability.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help improve access to affordable food.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to ensuring everyone can access healthy, affordable food. That is why I announced the Good Food Neighbourhoods programme last month. This £10 million fund will support those communities in greatest need, to access healthier, more affordable food – giving people the room to breathe on the cost of living.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of the use of off-road bikes in criminal activity in rural areas; and what steps she is taking to support police forces in tackling unlawful use where it results in damage to agricultural land and crops.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold data on the level of use of off-road bikes used in criminal activity in rural areas. However, we recognise the impact that unlawful and anti-social use of off-road bikes can have on communities.
The police have a range of powers to tackle the unlawful use of off-road bikes, including powers to seize vehicles being used illegally or anti-socially. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 has strengthened these powers by removing the requirement to issue a warning before a vehicle can be seized for anti-social use, enabling officers to act swiftly. We have also brought forward legislation to reduce the timeframe before a seized vehicle can be disposed of to seven days, preventing opportunities for offenders to re-offend.
Decisions on the deployment of these powers and their use in tackling damage to agricultural land in rural areas are operational matters for individual police forces. They are best placed to respond to the particular challenges in their force areas.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of fuel theft affecting rural and agricultural communities; and what steps she is taking to help reduce such theft.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Fuel theft undermines businesses and their workers. Those who dishonestly make off without paying can face prosecution, with the offence of making off without payment carrying a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment on conviction on indictment. Police should take firm action where criminality is reported.
We recognise that some fuel theft can involve offenders operating across force boundaries. Through police reform, the Government is strengthening the national and regional response to crime that crosses those boundaries, including through stronger national leadership, consistent standards and improved coordination.
Alongside this, the Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, ensuring communities have named, contactable officers focused on tackling local crime and anti-social behaviour.
The Government is also supporting more effective action when drivers leave without paying. DVLA has modernised its processes to make it easier for authorised retailers and recovery agents to access registered keeper details, supporting recovery of unpaid charges.
We do not hold specific figures for fuel theft. Such offences can be recorded under different crime classifications, including making off without payment and, depending on the circumstances, other theft or burglary offences. It is therefore not possible to provide a reliable breakdown of recorded crime specifically relating to fuel theft.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to farmers and other agricultural landowners for the clearance of waste deposited illegally on their land by organised crime groups.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Available support includes advice and good practice provided through the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group, EA awareness raising activities, insurance products that can cover clearance costs. We encourage councils to investigate fly-tipping and prosecute offenders. Where convictions are secured, courts can order offenders to reimburse landowners' clearance costs.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department will publish its response to the consultation on a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics and facial recognition technologies, and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing safeguards pending the introduction of any new legislation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Police Reform Bill will introduce a new framework to underpin law enforcement use of biometric and overt surveillance systems. The framework will ensure policing can innovate in a repeatable and consistent manner, supporting adoption of emerging biometric and overt surveillance technologies that improve policing effectiveness and public protection, while maintaining appropriate safeguards and oversight.
The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and published on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in organised crime groups affecting rural communities since the introduction of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act of 2023; and what steps she is taking to tackle such crime
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Rural crime can have a devastating impact on communities and the agricultural sector, particularly when machinery and equipment are stolen.
We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on organised rural crime, equipment theft, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.
The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 received Royal Assent in July 2023, but its substantive provisions require secondary legislation before they can take effect. The Government’s response to the Call for Evidence, published on 10 March 2026, sets out the proposed scope of that legislation. It will require all new All-Terrain Vehicles to be forensically marked, and their details recorded on a property database.
The Department has not made an assessment of trends in organised crime groups affecting rural communities, or of the impact of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 on levels of agricultural equipment theft, since the Act's provisions are not yet in force. However, the National Farmers’ Union Mutual Crime Report reported reductions in the cost of rural crime by 6% in 2025.
We recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in rural offences, including the theft of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel. The Home Office is therefore providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 for the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide operational support, intelligence, analysis and coordination to police forces across the UK, helping them to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries.
The Home Office has also worked closely with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to support the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in delivering their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025–28. This strategy provides a framework through which policing and its partners can work together to tackle the crimes that predominantly affect rural communities, including organised criminality affecting farms and agricultural businesses.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2003 on levels of theft of agricultural equipment.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Rural crime can have a devastating impact on communities and the agricultural sector, particularly when machinery and equipment are stolen.
We are improving the safety of rural communities with tougher measures to clamp down on organised rural crime, equipment theft, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.
The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 received Royal Assent in July 2023, but its substantive provisions require secondary legislation before they can take effect. The Government’s response to the Call for Evidence, published on 10 March 2026, sets out the proposed scope of that legislation. It will require all new All-Terrain Vehicles to be forensically marked, and their details recorded on a property database.
The Department has not made an assessment of trends in organised crime groups affecting rural communities, or of the impact of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 on levels of agricultural equipment theft, since the Act's provisions are not yet in force. However, the National Farmers’ Union Mutual Crime Report reported reductions in the cost of rural crime by 6% in 2025.
We recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in rural offences, including the theft of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel. The Home Office is therefore providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 for the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide operational support, intelligence, analysis and coordination to police forces across the UK, helping them to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries.
The Home Office has also worked closely with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to support the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in delivering their Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025–28. This strategy provides a framework through which policing and its partners can work together to tackle the crimes that predominantly affect rural communities, including organised criminality affecting farms and agricultural businesses.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average waiting time is for applicants between between being invited to apply online by the Rural Payments Agency to secure a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreement and securing a signed agreement.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The scheme is in an early stage “private beta” rollout where delivery times would be expected to be longer than normal. So far, the average time from invitation to apply to the Rural Payments Agency offering an agreement to the customer is around 90 daysfor what are 10-year agreements.
The length of time taken to reach agreement includes customer action and can vary considerably depending on a number of factors, including the complexity, specialist advice, site assessment, and time taken to agree management options.
Asked by: Sam Rushworth (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreements have been accepted since September 2025; and how many farmers have been invited to apply for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier since September 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Since September 2025, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has invited 903 farmers to apply for a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) agreement. Over the same period the number of CSHT agreements that have been accepted is 431.
The RPA continues to streamline the application process and ensure that agreements are progressed as efficiently as possible.