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Written Question
Equal Pay: Convictions
Wednesday 28th May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions under the Equal Pay Act there have been; and what the scale of the fines issued is.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on how many convictions under the Equal Pay Act there have been; or what the scale of the fines issued is.


Written Question
Beef: USA
Friday 23rd May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of beef imports from the US that will be (a) carcass and b) valuable cuts following the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.

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

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.


Written Question
Trade Agreements: USA
Friday 23rd May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the interests of UK (a) beef and (b) ethanol producers are represented in the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.

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

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.


Written Question
Agriculture: Subsidies
Wednesday 21st May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme in each year since its inception; and how much and what proportion of that funding was spent.

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

Prior to 2021 the scheme was EU funded. The Secretary of State did not allocate any direct funding to The Fruit & Vegetable Aid Scheme started in 2021 governed by EU rules before this time. Since then, £117,794,154.23 has been spent

The breakdown of actual UK funding spent on the scheme post EU exit is as follows:

2021 - £39,056,567.83 (£35,999,480.17 England only)

2022 - £40,110,883.98 (£34,460,975.86 England only)

2023 - £38,626,702.42 (£35,393,728.71 England only)

2024 - claims still being assessed.


Written Question
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
Wednesday 21st May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total area of land was in (a) entry-level agreements, (b) mid-tier countryside stewardship agreements, (c) higher tier countryside stewardship agreements and (d) higher-level stewardship schemes in each year since 2022.

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

Total area of land covered by Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship agreements:

For Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (hectares), the figures were:

2022 - 453,789

2023 - 513,288

2024 - 603,626

2025 - 574,676

For Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier (hectares) the figures were:

2022 - 459,334

2023 - 567,482

2024 - 660,535

2025 - 594,952

For Higher Level Stewardship (hectares), the figures were:

2022 - 70,729

2023 - 63,163

2024 - 53,832

2025 - 51,792

For Entry Level plus Higher Level Stewardship (hectares), the figures were:

2022 - 975,307

2023 - 851,967

2024 - 683,271

2025 - 633,248

For Organic Entry Level plus Higher Level Stewardship (hectares), the figures were:

2022 – 63,240

2023 – 44,548

2024 – 22,874

2025 - 19,736

Please note the following points:

  • Year dates have been taken, as the agreement not being closed as of 01st Jan of each year
  • The sum of each area-based revenue option capped at parcel total area has been used to calculate areas
  • Note also that Rotational Options have not been included for either scheme
  • Different agri-environment schemes and types of agreement can be carried out on the same physical piece of land, so the columns should not be summed
  • These figures are estimates based on the available data
  • The numbers provided here do not match previously published figures from FCP on area under agri-environment schemes in England in 2024, due to slight differences in date and methodology, particularly around rotational options
  • The numbers provided here do not match figures from Agriculture in the UK due to methodological differences.

Written Question
Food Supply: USA
Wednesday 21st May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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 is taking to ensure food security in relation to the ongoing negotiations for the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.

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

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.


Written Question
Trade Agreements: USA
Wednesday 21st May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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 is taking to represent the interests of farmers in the negotiations for the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal.

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

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.


Written Question
Infant Foods: Nutrition
Friday 16th May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increased regulation on the nutritional value of baby food.

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

Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influences many aspects of wellbeing in later life.

It is vital that we maintain the highest standards for foods consumed by babies and infants, which is why we have regulations in place that set nutritional and compositional standards for commercial baby food. The regulations also set labelling standards to ensure consumers have clear and accurate information about the products they buy. We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure they reflect the latest scientific and dietary guidelines.


Written Question
Dental Services: Women
Wednesday 7th May 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the availability of dental appointments for women.

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

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist and are committed to reducing health inequalities.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards across England.


Written Question
Packaging: Recycling
Wednesday 30th April 2025

Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)

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 brewers meet the costs of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme.

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

The government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). This is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise packaging producers to reduce their material footprint and use more sustainable packaging.

Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the brewing and hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. Despite considering multiple approaches, a consensus on a single approach that works for all sectors and within the bounds of legal and regulatory requirements, was not reached. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward and on assessing the tonnages of packaging any amendment might affect in the hospitality sector and in other sectors. We are planning next steps as a priority and will share more information soon.