Written questions by Brandreth.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a breakdown of the 151 flood defence schemes by project type, including major capital schemes, medium-scale works and minor works such as maintenance, refurbishment or restoration of existing assets.

During 24/25 and 25/26, this Government has invested a record £2.65 billion in new flood defences with at least 52,000 properties set to be better protected by March 2026. Between July 2024 and July 2025, this investment funded work to complete 151 flood schemes. A scheme is considered complete when the flood asset will better protect properties from flooding. The completion of the 151 schemes during this period means more than 24,000 homes and businesses are now better protected. Of the 151 schemes, 70 were newly constructed flood defences, 58 were significant capital refurbishment/replacement of existing older assets (to either extend the life of the asset or increase the standard of protection it provides) and 23 delivered flood resilience measures to properties. The 151 schemes include projects in all regions of England. Further details of flood schemes invested in by the Government since 2024 can be found on gov.uk and a list of projects to be funded in 26/27 will be published in March. Delivering on the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least £10.5 billion in our flood defences until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history – a record investment that is projected to benefit nearly 900,000 properties.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding was allocated to (a) major capital flood defence schemes and (b) minor or maintenance-type schemes within the 151 flood defence schemes delivered in the Government’s first year.

During 24/25 and 25/26, this Government has invested a record £2.65 billion in new flood defences with at least 52,000 properties set to be better protected by March 2026. Between July 2024 and July 2025, this investment funded work to complete 151 flood schemes. A scheme is considered complete when the flood asset will better protect properties from flooding. The completion of the 151 schemes during this period means more than 24,000 homes and businesses are now better protected. Of the 151 schemes, 70 were newly constructed flood defences, 58 were significant capital refurbishment/replacement of existing older assets (to either extend the life of the asset or increase the standard of protection it provides) and 23 delivered flood resilience measures to properties. The 151 schemes include projects in all regions of England. Further details of flood schemes invested in by the Government since 2024 can be found on gov.uk and a list of projects to be funded in 26/27 will be published in March. Delivering on the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least £10.5 billion in our flood defences until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history – a record investment that is projected to benefit nearly 900,000 properties.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Environment Agency has made of the proportion of the 151 flood defence schemes that were already in construction or procurement prior to July 2024.

During 24/25 and 25/26, this Government has invested a record £2.65 billion in new flood defences with at least 52,000 properties set to be better protected by March 2026. Between July 2024 and July 2025, this investment funded work to complete 151 flood schemes. A scheme is considered complete when the flood asset will better protect properties from flooding. The completion of the 151 schemes during this period means more than 24,000 homes and businesses are now better protected. Of the 151 schemes, 70 were newly constructed flood defences, 58 were significant capital refurbishment/replacement of existing older assets (to either extend the life of the asset or increase the standard of protection it provides) and 23 delivered flood resilience measures to properties. The 151 schemes include projects in all regions of England. Further details of flood schemes invested in by the Government since 2024 can be found on gov.uk and a list of projects to be funded in 26/27 will be published in March. Delivering on the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least £10.5 billion in our flood defences until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history – a record investment that is projected to benefit nearly 900,000 properties.

What steps his Department is taking to improve coordination between NHS services and local government in providing aftercare and community support for elderly and frail people following discharge from hospital.

The Department continues to work with the systems facing the greatest challenges to embed best practice in discharge processes, improve patient flow, and ensure timely follow‑up and community support for those most at risk of complications.For people who need further care after discharge, a multi-disciplinary care transfer hub in each area brings together National Health Service, local authority, social care, housing, and other professionals to ensure timely discharge and suitable ongoing care and support.As part of the Better Care Fund framework for 2025/26, the NHS and local authorities in every area are encouraged to work together to review the capacity needed to support hospital discharge for people with more complex needs. This includes ensuring there is sufficient capacity to rehabilitation and recovery services to support a timely and effective discharge, or to support avoidable admissions. It is for local systems to determine the right mix of services for their population.In 2026/27, the Better Care Fund will continue to focus on those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation, and reablement.

What mechanisms are in place to ensure that patients discharged from hospital receive appropriate aftercare and follow‑up, particularly older patients at higher risk of complications; and whether his Department plans to improve coordination of post‑discharge support.

The Department continues to work with the systems facing the greatest challenges to embed best practice in discharge processes, improve patient flow, and ensure timely follow‑up and community support for those most at risk of complications.For people who need further care after discharge, a multi-disciplinary care transfer hub in each area brings together National Health Service, local authority, social care, housing, and other professionals to ensure timely discharge and suitable ongoing care and support.As part of the Better Care Fund framework for 2025/26, the NHS and local authorities in every area are encouraged to work together to review the capacity needed to support hospital discharge for people with more complex needs. This includes ensuring there is sufficient capacity to rehabilitation and recovery services to support a timely and effective discharge, or to support avoidable admissions. It is for local systems to determine the right mix of services for their population.In 2026/27, the Better Care Fund will continue to focus on those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation, and reablement.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that older patients are not discharged from hospital prematurely due to bed pressures; and what measures are in place to safeguard patient safety during the discharge process.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all patients are discharged from hospital appropriately with the right care and support in place. Clinicians in every speciality use a set of criteria and clinical judgement to determine when a patient is medically fit for discharge, and where people need further care after discharge, multi-disciplinary care transfer hubs bring together the National Health Service, local authorities, social care, housing, and other professionals to make arrangements for safe and timely discharge.

What actions he is taking to reduce the length of time older people spend on trolleys in Accident and Emergency departments, including cases where patients wait many hours or days; and what assessment he has made of the impact of such waits on dignity, safety and health outcomes.

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years and is taking action to improve services for patients. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard and to reducing long waits that can result in patients receiving care in inappropriate settings. To support this, we are investing £450 million to expand same-day and urgent care services and to improve hospital flow, with a focus on addressing the longest waits and improving patient experience.As committed to in the Urgent and Emergency Care plan, we will publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time. NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place, new reporting arrangements to drive improvement. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.Where corridor care cannot be avoided, we have published updated guidance to support trusts to deliver it safely, ensuring dignity and privacy is maintained to reduce impacts on patients and staff.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements, reducing the proportion of patients waiting more than 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This includes expanding urgent community care, such as urgent community response, neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams, and virtual wards, to reduce avoidable emergency department attendances and hospital admissions. We have asked NHS trusts to focus on eliminating discharge delays of more than 48 hours caused by issues within the hospital, and to work with local authorities on eliminating the longest delays. The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a year-on-year trajectory to improve performance towards the constitutional standard, reduce long waits, and improve safety and efficiency in emergency departments.We have also introduced new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care to support better hospital flow. These set minimum expectations for timely review, availability of advice, and coordinated care when multiple specialist teams are involved, to improve patient care and flow through the hospital.

What steps he is taking to improve integration between hospitals, GP practices and district nursing services to streamline care for older patients and prevent long delays in accessing medical assessment for potentially serious conditions such as infection or deep vein thrombosis.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will fundamentally transform the National Health Service, through shifting resources from hospital to community, with a focus on population health. We know that reform cannot be achieved by simply shifting care to other parts of the health and care system working as they are now, and that more integrated working between primary and secondary care will be vital.We are improving access to the front door of the NHS, for example by increasing capacity in general practice. More timely access to primary care and better proactive care for long term conditions will reduce demand into urgent and emergency care and reduce pressure in hospitals, freeing them up to providing faster and productive care for those who most need it, including older patients.One example of the left-shift in practice is the pan-Sussex community project. Here patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis are seen in the community under the care of their general practitioner, leading to a substantial reduction in the number of patients needing to visit their local acute hospital.We are also committed to reducing long waits and improving patient experience in urgent and emergency care. The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework sets out a clear trajectory to improve performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard. This will be supported by investment in staff, digital triage, and community urgent care.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has assessed the potential impact of recent levels of availability of the PRN system on levels of reprocessor closures.

The Government is working closely with key trade associations and industry stakeholders to understand the potential impact of delays to the availability of the new PRN digital system, particularly on smaller reprocessors and exporters, and in the plastics and glass recycling sectors. Based on consultation with stakeholders, we have prioritised providing the data that would help them most and support them to continue trading more confidently. The Government committed to keeping affected businesses updated and have issued weekly updates in addition to our helpdesk service. As part of our outreach to businesses, we are encouraging businesses them to share any key feedback and insights on the impact of the delays with us. The Government will continue to meet with sector bodies and compliance schemes on a weekly basis during February to monitor impacts on businesses and PRN prices.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of PRN market disruption on the plastics and glass recycling sectors.

The Government is working closely with key trade associations and industry stakeholders to understand the potential impact of delays to the availability of the new PRN digital system, particularly on smaller reprocessors and exporters, and in the plastics and glass recycling sectors. Based on consultation with stakeholders, we have prioritised providing the data that would help them most and support them to continue trading more confidently. The Government committed to keeping affected businesses updated and have issued weekly updates in addition to our helpdesk service. As part of our outreach to businesses, we are encouraging businesses them to share any key feedback and insights on the impact of the delays with us. The Government will continue to meet with sector bodies and compliance schemes on a weekly basis during February to monitor impacts on businesses and PRN prices.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the PRN system disruption on small and medium-sized reprocessors.

The Government is working closely with key trade associations and industry stakeholders to understand the potential impact of delays to the availability of the new PRN digital system, particularly on smaller reprocessors and exporters, and in the plastics and glass recycling sectors. Based on consultation with stakeholders, we have prioritised providing the data that would help them most and support them to continue trading more confidently. The Government committed to keeping affected businesses updated and have issued weekly updates in addition to our helpdesk service. As part of our outreach to businesses, we are encouraging businesses them to share any key feedback and insights on the impact of the delays with us. The Government will continue to meet with sector bodies and compliance schemes on a weekly basis during February to monitor impacts on businesses and PRN prices.

Food and Rural Affairs, how will PRN data be accuracy maintained, in the context of lengths of shipping times for exported material.

Recent regulatory changes seek to ensure that exporters provide and maintain accurate, verifiable data to help combat fraud within the system. This includes ensuring that packaging waste that leaves the UK for recycling reaches its intended destination before PERNs can be issued, helping to drive down fraud in the system. Changes in the regulations mean that PRN evidence can now only be issued once the material has been confirmed as received by the overseas recycling facility. Before this change evidence could be issued at the point of export. This will increase the accuracy of the data.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether an impact assessment on recycling companies was conducted prior to the closure of the existing PRN/PERN system in January 2026.

Risks to delivery of the new PRN/PERN system were assessed and a broad range of delivery options were considered. The previous system (the National Waste Packaging Database) does not have the capability to support delivery of new regulatory requirements which take effect for 2026. It is not feasible to run two systems in parallel during the year, given that the PRN market operates on a calendar year basis. Defra is working hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of providing financial support or temporary relief for recyclers affected by the loss of PRN income.

As the PRN/PERN market remains operational and has not closed, our focus is on delivering functionality of a new digital system as soon as possible. The Government is working closely with affected businesses to understand the impact of the delay to delivery of the new PRN digital system and are committed to continuing to work closely with them to resolve the issue.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of requiring exporters to claim PRNs only once material has reached its final destination on those exporters.

Recent regulatory changes seek to ensure that exporters provide and maintain accurate, verifiable data to help combat fraud within the system. This includes ensuring that packaging waste that leaves the UK for recycling reaches its intended destination before PERNs can be issued, helping to drive down fraud in the system. Changes in the regulations mean that PRN evidence can now only be issued once the material has been confirmed as received by the overseas recycling facility. Before this change evidence could be issued at the point of export. This will increase the accuracy of the data.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether steps have been put in place to allow retrospective PRN/PERN registrations for the period during which the market has been closed.

The PRN/PERN market remains operational. Contracts, sales and payments for PRNs & PERNs remain outside the digital system and operators are able to enter into agreements to contract sales before the PRN/PERN digital functionality is in place. Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 a new requirement was introduced mandating all packaging waste recyclers to be registered from 2026. The Environment Agency and Defra created an interim application system which opened on 1 September 2025 enabling operators to submit Registration and Accreditation applications.  Accredited operators can engage with producers & compliance schemes directly to agree contractual terms for the supply of PRN/PERNs. We are making good progress on the delivery of capability for accredited operators to be able to record and issue PRN/PERNs in the digital service.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to decrease the time taken to provide Environment Agency accreditation approvals.

The Environment Agency (EA) is committed to reducing the time taken to determine accreditation applications. While the Packaging Regulations set a 12‑week statutory determination period, the new regulations now require more detailed information from operators. The EA has expanded its resources dedicated to assessing these more comprehensive applications. To support quicker and higher‑quality submissions, the EA has also updated its guidance, increased pre‑application support, and engaged extensively with industry through events and webinars. These steps are already helping to reduce avoidable delays caused by incomplete or low‑quality applications. The EA will continue to refine its processes, streamline assessment where possible, and work with industry to ensure applications can be determined as quickly as the regulations allow.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she considered putting measures in place to ensure a new digital PRN system was in place prior to the closure of the previous system.

Risks to delivery of the new PRN/PERN system were assessed and a broad range of delivery options were considered. The previous system (the National Waste Packaging Database) does not have the capability to support delivery of new regulatory requirements which take effect for 2026. It is not feasible to run two systems in parallel during the year, given that the PRN market operates on a calendar year basis. Defra is working hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency arrangements have been put in place to allow PRN/PERN registration while the new system is unavailable.

The PRN/PERN market remains operational. Contracts, sales and payments for PRNs & PERNs remain outside the digital system and operators are able to enter into agreements to contract sales before the PRN/PERN digital functionality is in place. Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 a new requirement was introduced mandating all packaging waste recyclers to be registered from 2026. The Environment Agency and Defra created an interim application system which opened on 1 September 2025 enabling operators to submit Registration and Accreditation applications.  Accredited operators can engage with producers & compliance schemes directly to agree contractual terms for the supply of PRN/PERNs. We are making good progress on the delivery of capability for accredited operators to be able to record and issue PRN/PERNs in the digital service.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether staffing levels at the Environment Agency are adequate to manage the transition to the new PRN system.

The Environment Agency (EA) has increased staffing to ensure it can manage the transition to the new PRN system and deliver its regulatory duties under the new packaging regulations. Additional resource has been allocated to support both the new operational requirements and the bedding‑in of the updated IT system. The EA will continue to monitor resourcing levels closely and adjust as necessary to ensure a smooth transition for industry and effective regulatory oversight.