Written questions by Griffiths.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the condition and remaining operational lifespan of pumping, outfall, and other flood risk management assets for which it is responsible in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency; and what plans are in place to refurbish or replace those assets where required.

Over the last 5 years, the Environment Agency has inspected all the flood risk assets it operates and maintains across the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton area. Each year the Environment Agency delivers an asset reconditioning programme whereby assets rated poor or worse are prioritised for repair or replacement when funding is available. Priority is given to assets that protect the most properties, and assessments are made on decommissioning assets where they no longer provide a flood risk benefit.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much flood risk management funding has been allocated to Environment Agency projects affecting the Aldingbourne Rife catchment in each of the last five financial years; and what funding is planned for each of 2026–27 and 2027–28.

The Environment Agency has invested over £735,000 in the past two years on routine vegetation clearance and channel maintenance across the Aldingbourne Rife and connected watercourses. Each May the Environment Agency inspects the channel, followed by machine and hand‑cutting works through summer and autumn as needed. Flood risk assets, including the Bognor Regis sea wall, ramps and flood gates and Felpham Pumping station, are routinely checked throughout the year and debris screens are cleared whenever needed, 24/7, especially before and during rainfall events. This pattern of routine maintenance and operational checks will continue in 2026-2027.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of hereditaments in England used wholly or mainly for community sport that receive (a) mandatory charitable rate relief, (b) mandatory Community Amateur Sports Club rate relief and (c) discretionary rate relief from local authorities; and what estimate he has made of the total value of relief awarded in each category in 2025-26.

The Department only collects aggregate data on the rateable values and reliefs and does not collect data broken down by type of business. Forecast data for 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here. Support for ratepayers facing increases in their business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme. Transitional Relief caps the bill increases of all ratepayers and is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. Supporting Small Business Relief calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme. Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of hereditaments used wholly or mainly for community sport in England that will see an increase in their (a) rateable value and (b) business rates liability from 1 April 2026; and what transitional arrangements will apply to those hereditaments.

The Department only collects aggregate data on the rateable values and reliefs and does not collect data broken down by type of business. Forecast data for 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here. Support for ratepayers facing increases in their business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme. Transitional Relief caps the bill increases of all ratepayers and is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. Supporting Small Business Relief calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme. Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of sports clubs and community sport facilities in England that will qualify for the retail, hospitality and leisure business rates multipliers from 1 April 2026.

The Department only collects aggregate data on the rateable values and reliefs and does not collect data broken down by type of business. Forecast data for 2025-26 is published on gov.uk here. Support for ratepayers facing increases in their business rates bills at the 2026 revaluation is provided by the Transitional Relief Scheme and the Supporting Small Business Relief Scheme. Transitional Relief caps the bill increases of all ratepayers and is calculated from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill before all other reliefs. Supporting Small Business Relief calculates support from a base liability of the 2025/26 bill including eligible reliefs. For the 2026 scheme, those ratepayers losing some or all of their Small Business Rate Relief, Rural Rate Relief, 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and leisure Relief, or 2023 Supporting Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for the 2026 Supporting Small Business Scheme. Further information on business rates reliefs can be found on gov.uk here.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to business rates liability from 1 April 2026 on participation in grassroots sport in England; and whether she has made representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on that issue.

DCMS engaged extensively with HM Treasury in the run up to the Autumn Budget 2025 and provided evidence to HM Treasury on the anticipated impact to the sport and leisure sector. The Government has announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in their business rates bills because of the revaluation. In addition, the Government is introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down, next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

What estimate she has made of the cost of extending business rates relief beyond 31 March 2026 for premises used for community sport; and whether she has considered a sector-specific relief for grassroots sports clubs.

Currently, properties which are wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes, including community amateur sports clubs, are eligible for charitable relief, which provides businesses with up to 80% off their business rates bills. Provision of further relief to charitable properties is at the discretion of local authorities.

How many applications for judicial review relating to NHS service reconfiguration decisions in England were lodged in each year since 2015; and in how many of those cases permission to proceed was granted.

Data on the number of judicial review applications relating to NHS service reconfiguration decisions in England — and the number in which permission to proceed was granted— is included within the official Judicial Review statistics published on the Civil Justice Statistics webpage: Civil justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK. These statistics are presented in broad categories and do not separately identify cases concerning NHS service reconfiguration.

How many sites recorded in the NHS Surplus Land data collection since 2020 were previously used as community hospitals; and how many of those have subsequently been disposed of.

We routinely collect National Health Service surplus land data and currently publish it on a bi-annual basis. The following table shows the NHS surplus land statistics by year, sorted by recorded surplus or potentially surplus land plots, and disposed plots, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:YearRecorded surplus or potentially surplus land plotsDisposed plots2020/21610822021/22441672022/23368542024/2535669 For further information on how we define our data, the specific sites and type of infrastructure, including community hospitals, that were sold during these years is available at local integrated care boards and at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-surplus-land

How many sites were recorded in the NHS Surplus Land data collection in each year since 2020; and how many of those sites have subsequently been disposed of.

We routinely collect National Health Service surplus land data and currently publish it on a bi-annual basis. The following table shows the NHS surplus land statistics by year, sorted by recorded surplus or potentially surplus land plots, and disposed plots, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:YearRecorded surplus or potentially surplus land plotsDisposed plots2020/21610822021/22441672022/23368542024/2535669 For further information on how we define our data, the specific sites and type of infrastructure, including community hospitals, that were sold during these years is available at local integrated care boards and at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-surplus-land

How many requests to call in a reconfiguration of NHS services his Department has received under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 since 31 January 2024; and in how many cases he has exercised the call-in power.

The Department has been notified of nine reconfigurations under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 since 31 January 2024, of which one related to community hospital’s provision of beds.The Department has received a total of 70 call-in requests, relating to 21 individual NHS service reconfigurations, under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 since 31 January 2024. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not used the call-in power.

How many notifiable reconfigurations have been notified to his Department under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 since 31 January 2024; and how many of those related to the permanent closure, relocation or withdrawal of services from a community hospital site.

The Department has been notified of nine reconfigurations under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 since 31 January 2024, of which one related to community hospital’s provision of beds.The Department has received a total of 70 call-in requests, relating to 21 individual NHS service reconfigurations, under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 since 31 January 2024. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not used the call-in power.

What assessment his Department has made of accident and emergency capacity and performance at NHS trusts in West Sussex; and what support is being provided to those trusts to manage current levels of demand.

No specific assessment has been made. However, we acknowledge that accident and emergency care performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to address this.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to at least 78% of accident and emergency patients being admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours by March 2026.We are putting significant funding into expanding urgent and emergency service access for those most in need, including new Urgent Treatment Centres and Same Day Emergency Care facilities. This will mean 800,000 fewer accident and emergency patients waiting over four hours this year.In July 2025, we published our 10-Year Health Plan which commits to reducing accident and emergency waiting times in the longer-term, shifting care into the community with Neighbourhood Health Services.

What assessment his Department has made of staffing pressures in urgent and emergency care services in West Sussex, including vacancy rates, during periods of peak winter demand; and what support is available through national winter pressures funding.

The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive high quality care throughout the year, including during peak winter demand.We started earlier and have done more than ever to prepare for winter this year. We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support to services across the country as needed.Decisions about workforce planning, including recruitment and vacancy management, are a matter for individual NHS employers who are best placed to assess local staffing needs and deploy staff flexibly to maintain safe and effective services. NHS England works closely with systems, including in West Sussex, to support local workforce resilience during the winter period.Our immediate focus is on ensuring the resources already available are used as effectively as possible, with funding directed to frontline care, additional capacity, and improving patient flow. The funding settlement for this year included specific allocations for winter resilience and urgent and emergency care, which are being targeted where they will have the greatest impact.We will continue to keep the situation under close review with NHS England and if further support is required to maintain patient safety and operational resilience, those discussions will take place in the usual way.

What assessment his Department has made of the capacity of urgent treatment centres, minor injuries units, and walk-in services in West Sussex to reduce pressure on accident and emergency departments; and what national funding or guidance is available to ensure these services are adequately staffed during periods of peak demand.

The Government aims to provide additional capacity for minor urgent health problems, ensuring that resources are targeted appropriately and that emergency care remains available for the most acutely unwell patients, reducing pressure on accident and emergency departments this winter.The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 focuses on those improvements that will see the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care performance this winter and on making urgent and emergency care better every day. It is backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding, including £250 million of capital investment for the continued expansion of co-located urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency care.We are also expanding urgent care in primary, community, and mental health settings, increasing vaccination uptake, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable. Integrated care boards and trust winter plans have been stress-tested to ensure resilience, reducing pressure on accident and emergency departments this winter.During periods of industrial action, robust plans were in place to minimise disruption, including agreed patient safety mitigations with unions, elective care rescheduling, and maintaining urgent and emergency services.

What lessons the Government has identified from recent incidents involving containers lost at sea; and whether any changes to policy or guidance are being considered to reduce the likelihood or impact of similar incidents in future.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is conducting a safety investigation into the recent incident of loss of containers at sea. This will establish the cause of events that led to this incident to understand why it happened and make recommendations to prevent similar incidents reoccurring.

What oversight exists of compliance with cargo securing requirements for container vessels, including how such compliance is monitored and enforced.

Foreign Flagged vessels in UK ports are subject to Port State Control Inspections in line with the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, an Inspection Regime to which the UK is a committed signatory. Cargo securing is subject to inspection at these attendances.UK Flagged vessels to which the International Safety Management Code applies are audited in relation to vessel operations, including cargo stowage and securing. Vessels required to have Cargo Securing Manuals have these approved either by the MCA or by a Recognised Organisation authorised to do so on their behalf. UK vessels are also subject to general inspections.

What guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on (a) formally notifying and (b) engaging with Members of Parliament during significant environmental or public safety incidents affecting their constituencies.

The government issues a range of guidance on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, its associated regulations and wider non-statutory arrangements for civil protection. This supports local responders, which includes Local Authorities, to understand how to fulfil their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies taking place in the UK, including environmental and public safety incidents. Cabinet Office guidance, including the ‘Emergency Response and Recovery’ guidance and ‘National Resilience Standards for Local Resilience Forums’ guidance, provides information on protocols that local responders should have for ensuring appropriate political involvement in the management of emergencies, particularly in the recovery phase. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also issued ‘Local authorities’ preparedness for civil emergencies: a good practice guide for chief executives’ guidance which provides assistance to chief executives of local authorities to make sure they are well-prepared to respond and recover from emergencies. This includes the need to provide clear information to politicians on what is happening during an emergency.

Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities responding to maritime incidents that result in environmental contamination or significant shoreline clean-up operations.

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance exists on public communication and safety messaging by local authorities during environmental incidents affecting coastal communities.

MHCLG is not responsible for maritime or environmental clean-up operations. The Lead Government Department responsibility for these sits with the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency, which are responsible for guidance to local authorities on these issues. I would also refer the hon Lady to the Answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Security gave to the Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild) on 29 April 2025 UIN 46848.