Tim Farron

On 8 May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the US. The US has committed to further negotiations, and we will continue our extensive engagement with businesses from across the UK throughout these remaining negotiations.

For the first time ever, this deal will open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market. We are engaging extensively with the agricultural and food sector and will put the UK’s national interest first.

Senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting representatives of the domestic bioethanol industry, and the Secretary of State has met with bioethanol businesses. We are committed to working with the domestic bioethanol industry about their concerns.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and his office is funded via a levy charged on the regulated retailers. Under the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013, the GCA may second staff from any other public bodies. GCA staff numbers, at 31 March each year, as stated in their Annual Reports and Accounts, were:

a) 2015/2016 – 5 secondees

b) 2020/2021 – 4 secondees

c) 2022/2023 – 7 secondees

d) 2023/2024 – 8 secondees

As of 26 February 2025 there are 9 secondees.

These reports are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/gca-annual-reports-and-accounts

The Employment Rights Bill will provide a new baseline of security for all workers, including those working on a visa. These protections include day one protection from unfair dismissal, increasing protection from harassment, strengthening Statutory Sick Pay and ending exploitative zero hours contacts.

The new Fair Work Agency will help ensure new minimum standards are being upheld across the country, by increasing awareness and accessibility of workers’ rights by providing a single point of contact, as well as supporting businesses to access clearer rules, information and advice to comply with the law.

The Employment Rights Bill will provide a new baseline of security for all workers, including those working on a visa. These protections include day one protection from unfair dismissal, increasing protection from harassment, strengthening Statutory Sick Pay and ending exploitative zero hours contacts.

The new Fair Work Agency will help ensure new minimum standards are being upheld across the country, by increasing awareness and accessibility of workers’ rights by providing a single point of contact, as well as supporting businesses to access clearer rules, information and advice to comply with the law.

Ofgem’s recent investigation did not find any evidence to suggest that Drax had been issued with subsidies incorrectly. Whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.

JET has been at the forefront of fusion research and innovation, and its final experiments produced a world record in energy output. However, JET is now 40 years old. An evaluation undertaken by EUROfusion in 2016 concluded that upgrades to JET did not provide value for money and it was decided to plan for the end of scientific operations. JET decommissioning will generate valuable knowledge for future fusion endeavours, alongside UK investment in new facilities. We are not aware of any instances where the decommissioning of JET has been raised by the EU Commission in discussion with UK ministers.

The Department does not hold data on smart meters operating in traditional mode at constituency level. Data held by the Department is reported at Great Britain-wide level and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics. Smart meters operating in traditional mode continue to record energy usage accurately but do not send automatic readings to energy suppliers.

Opinions vary as to what constitutes ‘good’ mobile connectivity and I have raised my concerns about the reporting of connectivity with Ofcom, but according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report (published on 5 December 2024), 4G indoor premises coverage is available from all four mobile operators in 68% of premises in your constituency, with 97% from at least one. This leaves 3% of premises (around 1,500 premises) with no 4G indoor coverage from any operator. Premises includes all buildings not just homes.

Through the Shared Rural Network, we are continuing to deliver 4G mobile connectivity to places where there is either limited or no coverage at all.

Whilst the transition from the analogue landline network to voice over internet protocol is an industry-led process, Ofcom and Government are working together with communications providers to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the upgrade process.

Opinions vary as to what constitutes ‘good’ mobile connectivity and I have raised my concerns about the reporting of connectivity with Ofcom, but according to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report (published on 5 December 2024), 4G indoor premises coverage is available from all four mobile operators in 68% of premises in your constituency, with 97% from at least one. This leaves 3% of premises (around 1,500 premises) with no 4G indoor coverage from any operator. Premises includes all buildings not just homes.

Through the Shared Rural Network, we are continuing to deliver 4G mobile connectivity to places where there is either limited or no coverage at all.

Whilst the transition from the analogue landline network to voice over internet protocol is an industry-led process, Ofcom and Government are working together with communications providers to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the upgrade process.

The Government is determined to ensure that any and all risks incurred during the industry-led migration from the analogue landline network to voice over internet protocol are mitigated. On 18 November 2024, the Department published guidance for communication providers on how to identify and support customers when their landline migrates. This includes customers who are landline dependent, many of which live in rural communities.

The Department also published a checklist of activities that communication providers should take before migrating customers to voice over internet protocol without their active consent. We expect providers to meet the safeguards set out in this checklist to keep customers – including those in rural communities - safe throughout the migration.

Ofcom reports that 2024 saw 45% more service incidents on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) compared to 2023, resulting in a 55% increase in the number of service hours lost. Retaining the PSTN would increase the risks of outages which would have a negative impact on consumers.

The Government is determined to ensure that any and all risks incurred during the industry-led migration from the analogue landline network to voice over internet protocol are mitigated. On 18 November 2024, the Department published guidance for communication providers on how to identify and support customers when their landline migrates. This includes customers who are landline dependent, many of which live in rural communities.

The Department also published a checklist of activities that communication providers should take before migrating customers to voice over internet protocol without their active consent. We expect providers to meet the safeguards set out in this checklist to keep customers – including those in rural communities - safe throughout the migration.

Ofcom reports that 2024 saw 45% more service incidents on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) compared to 2023, resulting in a 55% increase in the number of service hours lost. Retaining the PSTN would increase the risks of outages which would have a negative impact on consumers.

A Project Gigabit contract for Cumbria has been awarded to the broadband supplier Fibrus. Discussion on the inclusion of the parishes of Warcop, Hilton, Murton and Ormside within the contract is currently underway with Fibrus, with the aim of reaching an agreement by the end of December 2024.

The Government understands how important it is that everyone can access information in times of national emergency and that television has a role to play in providing such access. The Government’s project looking into the future of TV distribution is considering a range of relevant factors, including resilience. It is important that audiences continue to receive consistent levels of service regardless of how they receive their television, and ensuring that this can happen will be a priority for the project.

The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.

As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure, including through a stakeholder forum that I chair. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a number of groups representing rural, older and lower income audiences, including the Rural Services Network, Silver Voices and Digital Poverty Alliance.

In addition to independent research led by Exeter University and published last year, the Government has commissioned follow up research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural, older and low-income households.

Exams and other assessments are an essential part of ensuring that young people have acquired the knowledge and skills they need in order to succeed in further study and in later life.

We recognise that exams, like other things in life such as job interviews, have the potential to exacerbate feelings of stress amongst young people. But when pupils receive the right support, for many of them the level of stress from exams is manageable.

We encourage schools to provide safe, calm and supportive environments that help young people to understand and look after their mental health and wellbeing and develop healthy behaviours that can support them to stay well during stressful periods.

There is also a range of advice and guidance on how to beat exam stress. This includes guidance from the NHS, accessible at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/advice-for-parents/help-your-child-beat-exam-stress/.

Additional guidance by Ofqual can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coping-with-exam-pressure-a-guide-for-students. The information provides some useful advice which pupils can use to help alleviate or lessen the anxiety they have about sitting exams.

End of key stage 2 tests and teacher assessments, often known as SATs, are an essential part of ensuring that primary school pupils master the basics of reading, writing and mathematics to prepare them to achieve and thrive at secondary school.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering key stages 1 to 5, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy. The panel’s interim report, published on 18 March 2025, is clear that assessments in key stage 1 and 2 are an important part of assessing children’s progress throughout primary school, and that the system of primary assessment is generally working well. The review panel is now considering where there are challenges and how to make any necessary improvements to support the attainment of all children. The panel intend to deliver their final report in autumn 2025.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy, including curriculum and social inequality. The Review is evaluating the existing national curriculum and statutory assessment system in England, to ensure they are fit for purpose.

The Review’s Interim Report, published in March 2025, is clear that traditional examined assessment should remain the primary means of assessment. The Review will take a subject-by-subject approach to consider assessment fitness for purpose and consider the impact of different assessment methods on teaching and learning.

The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in the autumn, and the department will take decisions on what changes to make in light of these recommendations.

The government is clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of statutory guidance on teaching relationships, sex and health education and, as such, the department is looking carefully at responses to the public consultation conducted last year, considering the relevant evidence and discussing with stakeholders before setting out next steps to make sure the guidance draws from the best available evidence.

I refer the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale to the answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 26025.

Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system works.

Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams, namely over abstraction, phosphorous pollution and physical modifications of habitats. Restoring our chalk streams to better ecological health is part of our overall programme of reforms for the water sector.

Over the next five years water companies will spend more than £2 billion to deliver over 1,000 actions for chalk stream restoration and reduce their abstraction from chalk streams by 126 million litres per day. The Government is investing £1.8 million through the Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund into chalk stream projects.

On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security, and uphold our high food, animal welfare, and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.

On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security, and uphold our high food, animal welfare, and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.

On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

This deal has created a reciprocal agreement to lower tariffs for British beef exporters to the US, while acting in the UK’s national interest by ensuring that we uphold our rigorous food standards while protecting our farmers.

The agreement on beef means that around 1.5% of the UK beef market could come from the United States, and the same quantity of British beef can be exported to them.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security, and uphold our high food, animal welfare, and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.

The UK maintains high standards on the information provided both online and on food labels and packaging so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.

A range of Defra guidance is available on the Gov.uk platform for both consumers and retailers. This guidance sets out the requirements for general food labelling and specific product labelling, including details on the country of origin for beef and other meats.

Defra guidance on food labelling, including country of origin for beef products, is kept under regular review to ensure it remains accurate, up to date, and in line with current labelling regulations.