Written questions by Hinchliff.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential costs to the Treasury of remediating high-risk PFAS contamination sites where the polluter pays principle cannot be applied in full.

The Environment Agency has undertaken preliminary appraisal of potential PFAS remediation costs. A 2023 report indicates remediation could be significant at some legacy sites, though actual costs would depend on site specific factors. The polluter pays principle remains the primary mechanism to limit public expenditure. Actions in the PFAS Plan will improve understanding of contamination and future cost estimates.

What his Department's timetable is for finalising the second set of Modern Service Frameworks; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including respiratory conditions.

Modern service frameworks (MSFs) will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of MSFs, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential long-term costs to the NHS of the public's exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

The Government published a PFAS Plan on 3 February 2026, which sets out our approach towards protecting human health and the environment from risks posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. Our approach is science-based and evidence-led. This should ensure that effective and proportionate regulation is prioritised and implemented to address risks in a balanced way.

What the planned start date is for the review into the mental health of parents of children with serious illness.

The Government will commission a report on the mental health impacts of a child’s terminal diagnosis on their families. This will include a review of the available evidence and cost effectiveness. It will be carried out with reference to the recently announced independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, and the wider Government action to support vulnerable children suffering from trauma.Ministers from the Department will meet with stakeholders to discuss the scope of the report. A timetable for the report will be confirmed in due course.

What the anticipated timetable is for the completion and publication of the review into the mental health of parents of children with serious illness.

The Government will commission a report on the mental health impacts of a child’s terminal diagnosis on their families. This will include a review of the available evidence and cost effectiveness. It will be carried out with reference to the recently announced independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism, and the wider Government action to support vulnerable children suffering from trauma.Ministers from the Department will meet with stakeholders to discuss the scope of the report. A timetable for the report will be confirmed in due course.

Communities and Local Government, further to the Answer of 15 December to Question 97083 on Nature Conservation: Planning, what further external engagement is planned; at what stage in the implementation process will this take place; and how will external stakeholders be consulted.

In preparing Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), Natural England is engaging with a range of stakeholders. The government, and Natural England, will continue to work closely with local authorities, developers, environmental groups and other stakeholders to gather and assess the data needed to underpin each EDP. As required by the Planning and Infrastructure Act, all EDPs will also be subject to a 28 working day public consultation. The Implementation Plan for the Nature Restoration Fund was published on 18 December 2025 on and can be found on gov.uk here.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute environmental crimes.

Environmental crimes and prosecutions are generally undertaken by the Environment Agency (EA) as the Environmental Regulator and not by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS does prosecute some particular environmental crimes, for the police's National Wildlife Crime Unit, such as in relation to poaching and even CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Where appropriate, and where there is linked offending, the EA can coordinate investigations into suspected environmental offending with other bodies, including the police.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will consider establishing a duty on all government departments to consider nature recovery in their work.

Under the Environment Act 2021, the existing duty in s40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 was strengthened. This now requires that all Government departments must consider the action they can take, consistent with the exercise of their functions, to conserve and enhance biodiversity and then take that action.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2025 to 94315, whether planned changes to the Protection of Badgers Act would permit the killing of badgers solely for development purposes.

The changes to the Protection of Badgers Act (PoBA) effected by the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would permit licences for the purpose of preserving public health or safety or for reasons of overriding public interest, to kill or take badgers, or to interfere with a badger sett, within an area specified in the licence. This purpose is derived from the list of eligible purposes for an exemption under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, with which any species mitigation licence must comply. It is also consistent with similar provisions for other protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. Overriding public interest can be used to mean development and infrastructure activities but can accommodate other activities such as maintenance or repair work. Licences that permit the killing of badgers are already available for other purposes, such as scientific or educational purposes, preventing the spread of disease, or preventing serious damage to land, crops, poultry or other form of property. This provision will be subject to strict safeguards, as the Government is also legislating that any licence issued under the PoBA must meet the strict tests required by the Bern Convention: that there is no other satisfactory solution and that the grant of the licence is not detrimental to the survival of any population of badgers. Killing badgers would therefore remain exceptional, only permissible under strict conditions, and would not become routine for development purposes.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2025 to question 94312, what a wholly exceptional reason would be.

Further guidance on how local planning authorities should implement the protections relating to irreplaceable habitats can be found in Planning Practice Guidance on gov.uk here and the footnotes to the National Planning Policy Framework on gov.uk here.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a cross-government nature strategy, including requiring all departments to have a duty to consider nature.

Defra plans to publish the Cross Government Nature Strategy (CGNS) in March 2026. Under the Environment Act 2021, the Biodiversity Duty established in s40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 was strengthened. This requires all government departments to identify and implement actions to conserve and enhance biodiversity, consistent with the exercise of their function.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of whether chalk streams are an irreplaceable habitat.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 94314 on 3 December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to add chalk streams to the National Planning Policy Framework as an irreplaceable habitat.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 94314 on 3 December 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she has plans to implement the RSPB's Action Plan for Curlew published April 2025.

This Government is committed to recovering our threatened native species, such as curlew, and we welcome the UK Curlew Action Plan which sets out actions which will drive recovery of the species in the UK. Defra officials are carefully considering the Plan’s proposals for action across the six key areas identified and, with Natural England (NE) colleagues, we will continue to engage with the Curlew Recovery Partnership to understand how we can support delivery of the Plan. We are however, already taking action to support recovery of this species. Agri-environment schemes are providing funding to deliver habitat for wading birds such as curlew. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and the Sustainable Farming Incentive include actions for the management of key habitats used by curlew, including wet grasslands, hay meadows and moorlands. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier also pays for additional support for threatened species that can fund tailored actions to benefit curlews such as later cutting dates in silage fields. In addition, many of the Landscape Recovery projects currently in development aim to implement targeted actions to support curlews. Furthermore, through their Species Recovery Programme, NE have funded projects to identify causes of decline and are trialling conservation measures to benefit curlew. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee is co-ordinating the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement’s (AEWA) International Working Group for Curlew. The group aims to deliver AEWA’s International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Eurasian Curlew, and to co-ordinate action across the flyway to restore the conservation status of the curlew.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has discussions planned with nature organisations including the Woodland Trust, Wildlife Trusts and Wildlife and Countryside Link on potential secondary legislation arising from the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The government has engaged closely with a range of stakeholders, including nature and conservation groups, throughout the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and looks forward to further external engagement as we implement its various provisions.

Innovation and Technology, what plans the Government has to help ensure that local communities receive long-term economic benefits from new AI and data centre developments.

TechUK estimate that the gross value added of data centres is currently £4.7bn in the UK. This government encourages data centre developers to consider the local benefits that data centre build can bring, especially in areas with favourable conditions for heat offtake, or where skills and training can be provided. Last year, the government reformed the National Planning Policy framework to ensure that local planning authorities integrate data centres into an area’s local plan, ensuring alignment with local and national long-term economic goals.Through the AI Growth Zones initiative, we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth through job creation and by creating opportunities such as creating skills and apprenticeships pathways, R&D partnerships with local universities and creating investment opportunities for British businesses to participate in major AI projects.We are ensuring that local communities benefit by providing £5m for each AI Growth Zone to support skills and adoption in the area, and by ensuring that local authorities keep 100% of all business rates generated by sites where pre-existing arrangements do not exist.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that taxpayer-funded support, including grants and tax reliefs, for AI and data centre funding provides benefits to the public.

Through AI Growth Zones we are ensuring that local communities benefit by providing £5 million for each AI Growth Zone to support skills and adoption in the area, and by ensuring that local authorities in England keep 100% of all business rates generated by sites where pre-existing arrangements do not exist.The AI Growth Zones programme aims to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth through job creation and by creating opportunities such as creating skills and apprenticeships pathways, R+D partnerships with local universities and creating investment opportunities for British businesses to participate in major AI projects.

Whether the Jet Zero Strategy (JZS) is still used for policy-making on aviation decarbonisation, or whether it has been replaced or superseded by the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP).

This Government is progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including supporting sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation and the development of low and zero emission aerospace technologies. The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP), published in October, sets out the Government’s plan for delivering Carbon Budgets 4 – 6 across the whole economy. The CBGDP complements the 2022 Jet Zero Strategy (JZS), the policy document which sets the approach for the aviation sector to achieve net zero by 2050. We regularly update our aviation modelling and assumptions used in our analysis when new evidence becomes available, including the pathways to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The modelling used in the CBGDP is taken from the latest wider modelling of aviation, including emissions, out to 2050. Further versions of updated modelling will be used to inform future publications, including analysis for Carbon Budget 7.

Regarding aviation decarbonisation, whether the Department plans further modelling beyond that contained within the CBGDP for beyond 2037.

This Government is progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including supporting sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation and the development of low and zero emission aerospace technologies. The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP), published in October, sets out the Government’s plan for delivering Carbon Budgets 4 – 6 across the whole economy. The CBGDP complements the 2022 Jet Zero Strategy (JZS), the policy document which sets the approach for the aviation sector to achieve net zero by 2050. We regularly update our aviation modelling and assumptions used in our analysis when new evidence becomes available, including the pathways to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The modelling used in the CBGDP is taken from the latest wider modelling of aviation, including emissions, out to 2050. Further versions of updated modelling will be used to inform future publications, including analysis for Carbon Budget 7.

Regarding aviation decarbonisation, whether the CBGDP represents the latest modelling of how the Government will achieve a Net Zero pathway for the aviation sector, and supersedes the modelling underpinning the JZS.

This Government is progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including supporting sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation and the development of low and zero emission aerospace technologies. The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP), published in October, sets out the Government’s plan for delivering Carbon Budgets 4 – 6 across the whole economy. The CBGDP complements the 2022 Jet Zero Strategy (JZS), the policy document which sets the approach for the aviation sector to achieve net zero by 2050. We regularly update our aviation modelling and assumptions used in our analysis when new evidence becomes available, including the pathways to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The modelling used in the CBGDP is taken from the latest wider modelling of aviation, including emissions, out to 2050. Further versions of updated modelling will be used to inform future publications, including analysis for Carbon Budget 7.