Written questions by Spencer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the causes of delays in repairing bridge 142 in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency.

To ensure public safety and prevent access to the bridge, Egham Hythe (Bridge 142) will be closed until the Environment Agency (EA) has completed the necessary repair. Following a tree strike in 2023 the EA has conducted several specialist surveys of this bridge which identified cracks within the iron structure. The bridge refurbishment will require Defra grant in aid funding to be allocated to it and we will ensure this forms part of future Government Spending Review bids. Any temporary crossing would similarly require new Defra funding in order to be progressed. The EA is, however, exploring possible routes for partnership funding, which may help accelerate the refurbishment programme

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of improvements to Weybridge sewage works and (b) extent of further work needed to reduce storm overflows from that site.

The Environment Agency (EA) has required Thames Water to improve the Event Duration Monitoring of storm overflows at Weybridge Sewage Treatment works as part of the current Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) 2020-25. The EA has inspected Weybridge Sewage Treatment Works in 2024 and is currently investigating possible permit breaches at the site. The regulators will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, will not hesitate to hold companies to account. Further improvement schemes are planned as part of the WINEP 2025-2030 including tightening of environmental permit limits for phosphorous.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of improvements to Chertsey Sewage Works and (b) extent of further work needed to reduce storm overflows from that site.

The Environment Agency (EA) has required Thames Water to significantly improve the storm tank capacity at Chertsey Sewage Treatment works as part of the current Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) 2020-25 to reduce the frequency of storm overflows. The current completion date for this work is 31 December 2024. The EA will be inspecting the site to confirm the improvement scheme has been completed and will issue an updated environmental permit accordingly.

Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics are in place to (a) monitor and (b) enforce the timely response of the Environment Agency to reports of (i) waterway obstructions, (ii) lack of waterway maintenance and (iii) damaged or broken assets.

The Environment Agency (EA) is accountable to Parliament via the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). As the principal sponsor of the EA, Defra works closely with EA officials at every level to provide constructive challenge and support on EA performance and delivery. Defra ministers regularly meet with the EA leadership to discuss the EA’s performance and delivery of departmental priorities. The EA has powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where the EA undertakes watercourse maintenance to reduce flood risk, it focuses its efforts and resources on those areas where the consequences of flooding for communities, businesses, property and infrastructure are greatest. The EA measures, and reports on, the percentage of assets that are at target condition. Where assets are not at required condition, this identifies that work is needed. It does not present a risk of failure, or compromise performance in a flood, because mitigation measures are put in place such as more frequent inspections by the EA.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) staff training and (b) equipment for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis in schools.

Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, Academies and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions.The accompanying statutory guidance, entitled Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions, makes clear to schools what is expected of them in taking reasonable steps to fulfil their legal obligations and to meet the individual needs of pupils with medical conditions, including allergies. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.The guidance is clear that policy should include how it will be implemented, what should happen in an emergency situation and the role individual healthcare plans play in supporting pupils. The policy should set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.The department included a reminder to schools of these duties in its regular schools’ email bulletin in both March and September this year. In the same communication, the department also alerted schools to the newly created Schools Allergy Code. The Code was developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA) and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, who are all trusted voices on the matter of allergies. The department has now also added a link to the Code to its online allergy guidance on GOV.UK.Regarding equipment, in 2017, the Department of Health (now the Department of Health and Social Care) published non-statutory guidance to accompany a legislative change to allow schools to purchase spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) from a pharmacy, without a prescription and for use in an emergency situation. This guidance is kept under review and gives clear advice to schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils in schools.

Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement powers he has over the Environment Agency if they fail to remove (a) a tree under the Wey Bridge and (b) other waterway obstructions.

The Environment Agency (EA) is accountable to Parliament via the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). As the principal sponsor of the EA, Defra works closely with EA officials at every level to provide constructive challenge and support on EA performance and delivery. Defra ministers regularly meet with the EA leadership to discuss the EA’s performance and delivery of departmental priorities. The EA has powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers. Where the EA undertakes watercourse maintenance to reduce flood risk, it focuses its efforts and resources on those areas where the consequences of flooding for communities, businesses, property and infrastructure are greatest. The EA measures, and reports on, the percentage of assets that are at target condition. Where assets are not at required condition, this identifies that work is needed. It does not present a risk of failure, or compromise performance in a flood, because mitigation measures are put in place such as more frequent inspections by the EA.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned upgrade and improvement works at the Animal and Plant Health Agency on (a) current and (b) future trade agreements.

Work to safeguard and enhance the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) site in Weybridge continues. This capability ensures the Government can continue to manage a wide range of biosecurity threats which may otherwise affect our ability to trade. Defra is committed to the strongest possible standards of biosecurity which protects the country, boosting our resilience against animal diseases and protecting our economic growth.

How many and what proportion of (a) named day and (b) ordinary written parliamentary questions were answered within the response deadline by (i) Department and (ii) month since 4 July 2024.

Data on response times to written parliamentary questions (PQs) is held by the House, not the government. PQs are an important part of the scrutiny of government and we are committed to ensuring that Members receive full and timely responses. In May 2024, the Procedure Committee published its report regarding Departmental performance in responding to Written Parliamentary Questions (PQs) in the 2022-23 Parliamentary Session (available at:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmproced/676/report.html). The government has recently shared its response with the Committee and recognised that there is room for improvement upon the record of the previous government. I have written to all Members of Cabinet to ask that departments and Ministers consider how performance can be improved in this Parliament.The Procedure Committee monitors departmental PQ performance and their sessional reporting continues to be an effective tool. I look forward to working with the Committee on this.

If she will make a comparative estimate of the potential reduction in local noise pollution on the M25 in Runnymede and Weybridge constituency by (a) repairing the sections of concrete motorway and (b) replacing the concrete with another road surface.

National Highways has already undertaken trials to monitor the noise generated by concrete road surfaces following surface treatments (including Next Generation Concrete Surfacing) and the noise generated by other types of road surface. The outcome of the trials indicated that using low noise surface material versus Next Generation Concrete Surfacing does not result in a materially different amount of noise. Due to the cost and disruption, replacing the existing sections of concrete road surface in the Runnymede and Weybridge constituency with a low-noise material is not being pursued until it is required (predicted to be after 2040). However, Next Generation Concrete Surfacing will be undertaken across the M25 from 2026 to 2039.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact on (a) local traffic and (b) air pollution of a direct rail link from Egham to Heathrow.

A direct rail link from Egham to Heathrow is not currently being developed by the Department for Transport. Heathrow Southern Rail Ltd (HSRL) is developing proposals for a southern rail link to the airport, and I would expect impacts on local traffic and air quality to be assessed as part of their work.

What recent progress his Department has made on building a new healthcare facility to replace Weybridge Community Hospital.

Since the fire at Weybridge Community Hospital in 2017, the NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been working on plans to develop a replacement health centre. The planning application is due to be submitted shortly, following a public consultation to be held this month. Pending the approval of the planning application, the ICB will then submit a business case seeking approval for the funding for the new facility, which will be delivered by NHS Property Services. As with all schemes, this will need to be considered alongside other capital investment priorities, in the light of the forthcoming Spending Review.

If she will rebuild the Magna Carta School in Egham.

Magna Carta was announced as part of the school rebuilding programme in February 2024. The department remains committed to rebuild or refurbish all schools within the programme and we can confirm that early planning work for Magna Carta has started.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take enforcement action against Thames Water in response to sewer flooding in the Runnymede and Weybridge Constituency.

The Environment Agency (EA) assesses all incident reports and responds to those which pose the greatest risk to the environment. The EA has received one recent report of sewer flooding in the Runnymede and Weybridge Constituency (since 1 September 2024). This related to the hydraulic overload of Thames Water’s sewer network and was assessed as having a low impact on the environment. The EA has no plans for enforcement action relating to this incident in line with its Enforcement & Sanctions Policy. This policy has been in place since December 2023. The current Government is examining ways to strengthen these powers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the provisions of Flood:Re beyond 2039.

Flood Re is a flood re-insurance scheme that aims to ensure UK householders living in properties at high risk of flooding can access affordable home insurance. The scheme is due to end in 2039, at which point the aim is for the market to offer affordable risk-reflective pricing of flood insurance for households. Flood Re have a statutory purpose to manage the transition to risk-reflective pricing of flood insurance for household premises between 2016 and 2039. Flood Re published their most recent Transition Plan in July 2023, outlining its progress and action on moving to affordable risk-reflective pricing by 2039 this summer. Flood Re’s next Transition plan (Transition Plan 4) will be published in summer 2028.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of lift (a) availability and (b) maintenance and repair at train stations.

This is an operational matter for Network Rail and the train operating companies. Lifts should be available whenever passengers need them, however, there have been many occasions where this has not been the case. Network Rail has been aware of lift and escalator performance issues and established an improvement strategy in October 2023. In March 2024, the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road carried out a review into lift performance, which reinforced the need to deliver the national improvement strategy. Since then, Network Rail has implemented new contracts, invested in strategic spares across the country and reviewed the operating model for delivering lift and escalator asset management.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many enforcement actions relating to flood risk prevention were taken by the Environment Agency in each constituency in 2023.

The Environment Agency (EA) regulate works in rivers through a permissions-based approach under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. These are referred to as “flood risk activities”. The primary purpose of the regulations is to ensure in-river works do not damage the environment or cause a flood risk to others. Enforcement actions can occur due to a breach in permit condition but are predominantly for unauthorised works. Enforcement actions can vary from advice and guidance, formal warnings, notices, civil sanctions and prosecutions. There were 65 Enforcement Actions across the country relating to flood risk prevention in 2023. Please see the table below for the number of enforcement actions for each EA area. Number of enforcement actions for each Environment Agency area Environment Agency areaNumber of enforcement actionsCumbria and Lancashire0Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly2East Anglia30East Midlands0Greater Manchester and Merseyside0Hertfordshire and North London0Kent, South London and East Sussex2Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire0North East0Solent and South Downs0Thames0West Midlands1Wessex0Yorkshire30

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency's (a) actions and (b) policies in managing flood risk from watercourse in riparian ownership.

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the Environment Agency (EA) has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, estuaries and the sea. Landowners are responsible, under common law, for maintaining the bed and banks of any watercourses that run through their land in a state which avoids flooding on their neighbours’ or other land. This common law duty also extends to keeping watercourses and culverts clear of anything that could cause an obstruction, either on their own land or downstream if it is washed away. The EA has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK, and has supplemented their riparian guidance with Your Watercourse: rights and roles to help Risk Management Authorities, EA staff, and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce flood performance certificates.

Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government. Flood Re is a UK-wide, Government and industry led flood re-insurance scheme which aims to promote the affordability and availability of insurance for UK households at high flood risk. It is also required to manage the transition to risk-reflective pricing of flood insurance for household premises, ahead of the scheme closure in 2039. In their 2023 Transition Plan, Flood Re have committed to bring to the market a 'Flood Performance Certificate' which will enable assessments to be undertaken of property-level resilience to flooding. Whilst there is no statutory requirement for ministers to comment or respond to the published transition plans, the Government continues to work closely with Flood Re on the transition to risk reflective pricing for household insurance.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take steps to ensure that (a) new homes are not build on high risk flood areas and (b) cumulative development does not increase local flood risk.

The government recognises the devastating impact which flooding can have on communities, and the role the planning system plays in directing development to areas of lowest possible flood risk. National planning policy is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. In the recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, we sought views on how the planning system can be more effective in managing flood risk. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.

What estimate she has made of the number of Park Home Residents who are unable to take up Pension Credit due to pitch fees not being treated equivalently to ground rent in the application process.

An award of Pension Credit can include certain housing costs where the dwelling occupied as the home is not owned by the claimant and if these costs cannot be covered by Housing Benefit. Examples of housing costs covered by Pension Credit include: rents or ground rents on long tenanciesservice chargesrent chargesco-ownership schemestenancies or licences of Crown tenantstents and their sites It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the number of Park Homes residents whose Pension Credit applications were unsuccessful due to pitch fees not being included in the assessment.