Written questions by Jogee.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the correspondence received by his Department from Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on the Walleys Quarry Landfill Site in each of the last five years.

The Hon Member has requested a significant amount of information. Some of this correspondence may be subject to the conventions regarding access to papers of a previous Administration. Publishing some items of this correspondence could also risk prejudicing ongoing regulatory or criminal investigations in relation to the site. To fully review all of this correspondence would incur disproportionate cost. With this in mind I would like to offer a meeting with the Hon Member to discuss the issues at the site and actions underway.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the correspondence received by his Department from Staffordshire County Council on the Walleys Quarry Landfill Site in each of the last five years.

The Hon Member has requested a significant amount of information. Some of this correspondence may be subject to the conventions regarding access to papers of a previous Administration. Publishing some items of this correspondence could also risk prejudicing ongoing regulatory or criminal investigations in relation to the site. To fully review all of this correspondence would incur disproportionate cost. With this in mind I would like to offer a meeting with the Hon Member to discuss the issues at the site and actions underway.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for the Environment in the Welsh Government on his departmental priorities.

The Secretary of State had a call with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs on his second full day (9 July) where they committed to constructive partnership working, and identified early shared priorities to collaborate on to protect our natural resources and grow the economy, including initiatives to build a circular economy and measures to improve the water quality in our shared rivers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for the Environment in the Northern Ireland Executive on his departmental priorities.

The Secretary of State had a call with Andrew Muir MLA, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on his second full day (9 July) where they committed to constructive partnership working and identified early shared priorities to collaborate on including tackling water quality issues, and reducing waste and pollution in order to protect our natural resources and grow the economy.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of community service sentencing in reducing levels of reoffending in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

Across England and Wales, community service, now known as Unpaid Work (UPW), is primarily a punitive measure, however it can contribute to an individual's rehabilitation by providing an opportunity to gain vocational or skills-based on the job training while giving back to the society they have offended in. For those with an identified skills or training need, a percentage of their UPW hours can also be spent on education, training and employment activities to support their desistance from crime.As it is primarily intended and used as a punitive part of a sentence, we do not measure the impact of having an UPW requirement on reoffending rates. This information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.Tackling reoffending is crucial to reducing crime, reducing demand on prison and probation services and protecting the public. This Government will continue to work with partners across the criminal justice systems to reduce reoffending and giving offenders the tools to move away from crime.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for the Environment in the Scottish Government on his departmental priorities.

The Secretary of State had a call with Mairi Gougeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands on his second full day (9 July) where they committed to constructive partnership working and identified early shared priorities to collaborate on including protecting our natural resources to grow the economy through circular economy measures; supporting farmers and improving food security; and, sharing information on land use reform and access to nature.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of hydrogen sulphide from landfill sites on the health and wellbeing of people aged (a) 18 and under and (b) over 65 in Newcastle-under-Lyme cons

I have agreed to meet with my Honourable Friend about this issue. The UK Health Security Agency undertakes monthly assessments of the risk to people of all ages from hydrogen sulphide but does not produce separate assessments for individual age groups. Th...

What steps he plans to take to support veterans in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those in Newcastle-under-Lyme, get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need A range of support is in place to help veterans access services, including an accreditation scheme for NHS Trusts and Primary Care Networks across England to ensure they can best support veterans access health care; Government funded housing support for veterans; Armed Forces Champions across the UK’s Job Centre Plus network to help support members of the armed forces community into work; and the veterans’ railcard offering discounts on most rail travel.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans take to support (a) farmers and (b) the farming sector in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

We will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal for farmers that works for farmers, food security and nature. The only way to do this effectively is to listen to farmers and others with a stake in our food system, countryside and nature. The Government is doing this and assessing data and information about what is working and what is not before setting out detailed plans. Ministers will confirm plans for further rollout of farming grants and schemes shortly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Office for Environmental Protection.

This Government is committed to protecting the environment. We look forward to positive engagement with the Office for Environmental Protection. Their wide-ranging work is vital in supporting the environmental outcomes we all want to see, including restoring nature, and cleaning up Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas.

What steps he plans to take to support pubs in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties currently benefit from 75 per cent business rates relief, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2024-25. The small business multiplier is frozen at 49.9p for 2024/25. The government identified that the current business rates system disincentivises investment, creates uncertainty and places an undue burden on our high streets. In England, the government will replace the business rates system, so we can raise the same revenue but in a fairer way. The British Business Bank supports SMEs to grow by improving their access to finance, through the Growth Guarantee Scheme which offers a 70% government guarantee on loans. We will establish Skills England which will have a new partnership with employers at its heart and will reform the apprenticeship levy, a key ask of hospitality businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the enforcement powers of the Environment Agency.

The Environment Agency publishes an annual Review of Activities Regulated by the Environment Agency setting out details of enforcement action taken. The most recent of these reports was published in March this year and sets out statistics demonstrating the effectiveness of the regulatory activities of the Agency, including enforcement. In relation to waste crime, the Environment Agency’s has a wide range of investigatory and enforcement powers, including powers of entry, powers to search and seize evidence and to access communications data. Further regulatory reform is underway. The Environment Agency also has powers to sanction offenders using Variable Monetary Penalties (VMPs). In addition to the formal review, individual incidents and criminal investigation provide the regulators opportunity to learn lessons and identify further ways to frustrate the efforts of those who are determined to make profits, breaching environmental controls with no regard to their impact on the environment and local people.

If he will make an estimate of the number of illegal vaping products that were sold in Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Data collection and analysis to understand the scale of illegal vaping products across the country is part of the work led by National Trading Standards, to enhance illicit vape enforcement. This work, funded through a £3 million grant across two years fr...

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of landfill sites.

No recent formal assessment has been made, although published Environment Agency data (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-activities-regulated-by-the-environment-agency-2022/review-of-activities-regulated-by-the-environment-agency-2022 ) shows that there are only a handful of serious pollution incidents from landfill sites each year. The regulatory framework in place is designed to serve operators and protect the local community. Where poor performance does occur the Environment Agency has a range of powers to bring sites back into compliance and, where necessary, to take enforcement action against operators. These enforcement powers include the use of civil sanction Stop Notices under the Regulatory and Enforcement Sanctions Act 2008, and the ability to suspend or revoke an environmental permit, or to close a site down where there is evidence of harm or risk to the environment or human health under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) 2016 Regulations, as well as to take criminal prosecutions under that legislation.

What plans he has to help increase exports from (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire to European countries.

We as a government will work to remove unnecessary barriers to trade with the EU.UK businesses can access DBT’s export support services via Great.gov.uk. This comprises a digital self-serve offer and our wider network of support, including Export Champions, the Export Academy, our International Markets network, and UK Export Finance. Alongside this, our international trade advisers use their extensive experience of exporting and knowledge of the needs of SMEs in their sectors and regions to provide one-to-one tailored support to businesses across the UK. The Department are exploring options to improve our export support offer to UK businesses.

What assessment he has made of levels of energy (a) poverty and (b) security in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (ii) Staffordshire.

The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England, can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 4: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics. Whilst we cannot comment on specific constituencies, the energy security outlook for GB is positive for this upcoming winter - in their Early Winter Outlook (https://www.nationalgrideso.com/research-and-publications/winter-outlook), the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) provisionally expects the margin between supply and demand for GB to be 5.6GW / 9.4%, which is an improved position from last winter (4.4 GW / 7.4%). We continue to work with Ofgem and the gas and electricity system operators to monitor our energy security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

The Foreign Secretary is putting growth at the heart of our foreign policy making, including improving relationships with the fastest growing markets of the future across the Global South. Trade between Zimbabwe and the UK was worth £633 million in 2023 and increasing economic growth between the UK and Zimbabwe is a top priority for our Embassy in Harare. We are pursuing this through a range of channels, including by supporting UK businesses to enter and navigate the Zimbabwean market and engaging with firms interested in the mining, horticulture, renewable energy and wider sustainability sectors. On 10 July, the UK's development finance institution, British International Investment, signed an agreement to invest $10 million in a Zimbabwean bank, for lending to the agriculture sector.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which Ministers will attend CHOGM 2024.

The UK Government is committed to the Commonwealth and is working closely with Commonwealth partners ahead of this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, the first to take place in a Pacific Small Island Developing State. Ministerial attendance will be confirmed in due course.

What estimate she has made of the number of police officers who left the service in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England in each of the last five years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officer leavers in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesInformation on the number of police officers leaving the police service, by Police Force Area, between the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2023, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64ba76662059dc000d5d27c0/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.odsThe next release of the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which covers the number of police officer leavers in the year ending 31 March 2024, is scheduled for release at 9:30am on Wednesday 24 July 2024.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the service provided by Avanti West Coast.

The performance of Avanti West Coast (AWC) has been inadequate, with too many cancellations and delays. Poor Network Rail infrastructure reliability has also contributed to the disruption experienced by passengers. The Secretary of State met with the Managing Director of AWC and the Network Rail Route Director on 16 July to challenge them on poor performance and demand immediate action to deliver urgent improvements.