Written questions by Gelderd.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen the rights of residential park home residents in England to request the installation of individual water meters.

Residents are protected through existing regulatory frameworks overseen by Ofwat, which sets clear rules for water charging, service standards, and the rights of customers, including those living in park homes. All water companies must comply with Ofwat’s Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS), which sets minimum service standards and requires compensation where companies fail to meet them. These standards apply to all customers, including those living in park homes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to achieve the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 commitment to increase seagrass cover by 15% by 2043.

The revised Environmental Improvement Plan includes prioritised actions to deliver our goals and the ambitious Environment Act targets. Achieving our environmental ambitions requires collective action from individuals, communities, and organisations across all sectors. The Environment Agency with partners is working to restore 15% of saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reef in England by 2043 through the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) programme. Defra have boosted the capacity of ReMeMaRe by funding a programme office, which is supporting a pipeline of practical restoration projects for those habitats. 70% of seagrass habitats are within UK marine protected areas. Our Environment Act MPA target sets ambitious targets for all MPA features, including seagrass, to be in favourable or recovering condition by 2042. Defra also established the cross-administration UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership to identify priority evidence needs for these important habitats. The Partnership is formed of Defra, the devolved governments and DESNZ.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in the levels of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in South East Cornwall, compared with national averages.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for South East Cornwall and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)South East Cornwall725530England608,449423,588Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Cornwall can be found at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000052/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

What his department’s timeline is for deciding on the second wave of Modern Service Frameworks; and whether respiratory conditions will be considered.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire on 20 February 2026 to Question 112322.

What steps his department is taking to require Food Business Operators to provide written information on allergens for non-pre-packed food at the point of ordering, in line with the Food Standards Agency guidance of 5 March 2025.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) published best practice guidance on 5 March 2025 to help food businesses provide written allergen information at the point of ordering. This includes information on menus, printed materials or digital platforms, supported where appropriate by a verbal conversation. The guidance is intended to support clearer, more consistent communication of allergen information to consumers.At present, this guidance is non‑statutory, and no mandatory requirement for written allergen information has been introduced. The FSA is however, monitoring how the guidance is being adopted by food businesses and providing the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with regular updates.A robust evaluation has begun this year which will assess uptake and effectiveness. This evidence will help determine whether further measures, including legislation to require written allergen information at the point of ordering, are needed once the guidance has had time to embed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to monitor compliance with the Water Resale Order 2006 in relation to residential park home sites.

Ofwat’s guidance on water resale by third parties, such as park home site owners, sets out the maximum price a reseller can charge and the various methods they can use to calculate those charges. If a park home site owner breaches any of the requirements under the Water Resale Order, a resident can contact the Government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service for free independent advice about their rights.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that social care professionals working with adoptive families receive trauma-informed training.

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for South East Cornwall to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 102909.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to introduce fair food labelling to provide clear information on sourcing and production.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. Food origin information is mandatory for some, but not all foods. In all cases where origin is provided, it must not be misleading. We continue to review origin labelling using comprehensive evidence to ensure clear and transparent labelling for consumers. As set out in the Government’s animal welfare strategy, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, we will work with stakeholders to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that communication in (a) adoption support and (b) reunification cases is (i) timely and (ii) compliant with statutory guidance.

Regional adoption agencies should clearly set out on their websites what adoption support is available, who provides it, and how families can access it. This should include an overview of universal, targeted and specialist forms of support. During the adoption assessment process, prospective adopters must also receive information, counselling and advice about adoption, including the support services they may be entitled to. In addition, the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund provides nationwide access to funded post‑adoption support, including therapeutic interventions for adopted children and their families.In early‑permanence placements such as foster‑to‑adopt, reunification may occur if the court decides a child should return to their birth family. In these circumstances, reunification must follow statutory care‑planning duties, ensuring well‑planned transitions and appropriate support for carers and parents. Adoption England’s Reunification Framework provides structured guidance for practitioners to manage these transitions safely and sensitively, ensuring the child’s needs remain central throughout the process.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the planning system delivers sufficient affordable homes to meet the needs of families currently living in temporary accommodation.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that local authorities should assess the size, type, and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including those who require affordable and social rent homes, and should reflect this in their planning policies and decisions. Assessments of affordable housing need should estimate the numbers of those who cannot meet their needs in the market, including those in temporary accommodation. Local planning authorities are expected to set out the proportion and type of affordable and social rent housing that new development will be required to provide. The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, rules- based policies for plan-making and decision-making. The consultation includes policies to increase the viable provision of more affordable homes. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 91862 on the Marine Environment, what is the scope of the Sustainable Ocean Plan; what is the (a) process and (b) timetable for consultation with stakeholders; and whether blue finance will be incorporated.

The Sustainable Ocean Plan (SOP) will set out a framework to achieve 100% sustainable use of UK waters, supporting long-term growth in the ocean economy. We are currently in the scoping phase, which includes looking at areas such blue finance. As we develop the plan, we will provide further information on stakeholder consultation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 02 December 2025 to Question 94590 on Railways: Season Tickets, what the cost of a standard-class annual rail season ticket from (a) Lostwithiel, (b) Bodmin Parkway, (c) Liskeard and (d) Saltash stations to London Paddington was between 03 March 2024 and 01 March 2025.

The cost of Annual Season tickets to London Paddington from a) was £24,856.00, b) Bodmin Parkway was £24,856.00, c) Liskeard was £24,856.00, and d) Saltash was £24,648.00 between 3 March 2024 and 1 March 2025.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of differences in teacher qualification requirements by multi-academy trusts and local authority-maintained schools on the consistency of educational standards.

Evidence shows that high quality teaching is the most important in-school factor that improves outcomes for children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is the professional qualification for primary and secondary teachers and underpins high quality teaching by ensuring teachers meet the Teachers’ Standards. It is right that we expect teachers to be professionally qualified and the department is taking steps to ensure consistency in educational standards across all state funded primary and secondary schools. Teachers in local authority-maintained schools and special schools are already required to have QTS.Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, we are seeking to extend the requirement to academies, so all pupils, including those with SEND, benefit from well-trained, professionally qualified teachers. This change will ensure that teachers too benefit from the knowledge and training that underpins QTS across both local authority-maintained schools and academies.

Whether her Department plans to provide additional funding for skills and connectivity in Cornwall in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The skills system is central to achieving economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity. This government is investing skills including for key sectors such as construction, and for young people. Autumn Budget 2025 included £820 million for the Youth Guarantee, featuring a new Jobs Guarantee for eligible 18- to 21-year-olds, and £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy to help support apprenticeships for young people and fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible people under-25.Autumn Budget 2025 also invested £30m in a new Kernow Industrial Growth Fund to allow Cornwall council to support high-potential sectors such as critical minerals. This is in addition to existing support for the Cornish economy.

What information her Department holds on the cost of a standard-class annual rail season ticket from (a) Lostwithiel, (b) Bodmin Parkway, (c) Liskeard and (d) Saltash to London Paddington in 2010.

The cost of an annual season ticket in 2010 between London Paddington and b) Bodmin Parkway was £15,036, c) Liskeard was £15,036. There was no season ticket between London Paddington and a&d) Lostwithiel and Saltash in 2010, these season tickets were introduced in 2016.

Whether his Department plans to review the (a) definition of micro-entity and (b) level of support available to mico-entities.

The Government uplifted the monetary thresholds for determining a company is a micro-entity, for the purposes of audit and accounts by 50% in legislation that came into force in April this year. The Department does not plan to revisit this definition.As part of "Backing Your Business - our Plan for SMEs", the Government is making thriving micro, small, medium-sized businesses a reality through a package of legislative reforms to: tackle late payments; unblock billions in finance to support investment; remove unnecessary red tape; revitalise High Streets; and deliver support for digital and AI adoption through a new Business Growth Service.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of trends in the use of qualified supply teachers by academy trusts.

The department values the work that supply teachers do and the important contribution they make to the smooth running of schools. The department has not made any assessments relating to academy trusts alone, but we have considered the school sector as a whole.The department knows that the use of supply teachers, particularly in the secondary phase, has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic and that this is having an impact on school budgets. Details of our work on helping schools to maximise value from their budgets will be announced shortly.

Media and Sport, how many hours of Gaelic (a) television and (b) radio programmes were broadcast each year under the Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996 in each of the last five years.

The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996 was repealed in 2011. As a result, Gaelic language broadcasting generally, and services currently broadcast wholly or mainly in Cornwall, are no longer required to meet the criteria of the Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996.Regarding Cornish and Gaelic programming, the Media Act 2024 once commenced, will for the first time make clear in legislation the importance of the provision of these indigenous regional and minority languages as part of the modernised public service remit for television. It will be for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.In terms of the provision of the broadcasting of television programming in Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, the 1996 Order was replaced with the current arrangement between the BBC and MG ALBA for the carriage of BBC Alba. The BBC report on its provision of Scottish Gaelic programming in its annual report, and Ofcom annually reports on the amount of first run hours of Gaelic television programming aired on BBC Alba.Additionally, the BBC has a broader obligation under its Royal Charter to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the UK’s nations and regions, including support for Minority Language Broadcasting across its services.Meanwhile, support for Irish Gaelic programming is facilitated through support from the Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) and the Nimux programme which extends the coverage of TG4, the Irish Gaelic public service channel, across Northern Ireland.

Media and Sport, whether any services currently broadcast wholly or mainly in Cornwall meet the criteria set out in The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996.

The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996 was repealed in 2011. As a result, Gaelic language broadcasting generally, and services currently broadcast wholly or mainly in Cornwall, are no longer required to meet the criteria of the Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996.Regarding Cornish and Gaelic programming, the Media Act 2024 once commenced, will for the first time make clear in legislation the importance of the provision of these indigenous regional and minority languages as part of the modernised public service remit for television. It will be for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.In terms of the provision of the broadcasting of television programming in Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, the 1996 Order was replaced with the current arrangement between the BBC and MG ALBA for the carriage of BBC Alba. The BBC report on its provision of Scottish Gaelic programming in its annual report, and Ofcom annually reports on the amount of first run hours of Gaelic television programming aired on BBC Alba.Additionally, the BBC has a broader obligation under its Royal Charter to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the UK’s nations and regions, including support for Minority Language Broadcasting across its services.Meanwhile, support for Irish Gaelic programming is facilitated through support from the Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) and the Nimux programme which extends the coverage of TG4, the Irish Gaelic public service channel, across Northern Ireland.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to help position the UK as a global leader in blue finance.

The UK has built its position as a leader in blue finance through policy engagement and our Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes. Through our portfolio of marine ODA programmes, Defra and FCDO work with a range of partners, including the UN, Multi-lateral Development Banks, not-for-profit partnerships and the private sector, to pilot and implement blue finance solutions that support sustainable blue economies. The UK is committed to delivering a Sustainable Ocean Plan by 2027 as part of its active membership of the leader level High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Placing nature, economic growth, and food security at its core, the Sustainable Ocean Plan will provide clear guidance for public and private sector decision-makers on how the UK can achieve 100% sustainable management of our seas and oceans.