Written questions by Morello.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of inheritance tax changes on family farms in West Dorset constituency.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 84115.

Whether she plans to change farming inheritance tax reliefs in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of heating bills on rural communities in the context of the Autumn Budget 2025.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past. We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030, including those in rural communities. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bills. On 25 September we published a consultation setting out our intention to continue support for those 6 million households. The consultation sets out proposals for the next scheme period (up to winter 2030/31), after current regulations expire on 31 March 2026. Government is gathering feedback from stakeholders on: the design of the core elements of the schemeoptions for delivery of the scheme in Scotlandproposals to change some elements of the scheme for suppliersa call for evidence on Industry Initiativesa call for suggestions for future improvements during the next scheme period The consultation closes on Thursday 20 November.

Whether he plans to allocate funding in the Autumn Budget 2025 to improve access to NHS dentistry for children in West Dorset constituency.

The budget for Autumn 2025 has not yet been announced, however access to National Health Service dentistry, including for children, and addressing the issue of under-served areas remains a priority for the Government.

If she will make it her policy to allocate additional funding to support people with the cost of living in West Dorset in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The government is committed to improving living standards for all, in every part of the UK, and supporting households with the high cost of living. This is why the government has already raised the minimum wage, extended the £3 bus fare cap, expanded free school meals to over half a million more children, and is rolling out free breakfast clubs for every child in the country. The Chancellor will make decisions on Budget in the round and these will be announced in the usual way on 26 November 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to Inheritance Tax on the long-term financial viability of family farms in West Dorset constituency.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. Information from claims is not recorded to enable regional or national breakdowns of the number of estates expected to be affected. However, the Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The Government published a tax information and impact note on 21 July 2025 and this is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. The Government will invest more than £2.7 billion a year in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026-27 until 2028-29. This includes the largest financial investment into nature-friendly farming ever.

If she will make it her policy to introduce targeted measures to address the cost of living pressures in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The government is committed to improving living standards for all, in every part of the UK, and supporting households with the high cost of living. This is why the government has already raised the minimum wage, extended the £3 bus fare cap, expanded free school meals to over half a million more children, and is rolling out free breakfast clubs for every child in the country. The Chancellor will make decisions on Budget in the round and these will be announced in the usual way on 26 November 2025.

If she will make it her policy to allocate funding to support people with the cost of living in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The government is committed to improving living standards for all, in every part of the UK, and supporting households with the high cost of living. This is why the government has already raised the minimum wage, extended the £3 bus fare cap, expanded free school meals to over half a million more children, and is rolling out free breakfast clubs for every child in the country. The Chancellor will make decisions on Budget in the round and these will be announced in the usual way on 26 November 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate funding to support rural communities with (a) infrastructure and (b) service delivery costs in the Autumn Budget 2025.

This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. Rural communities make an important contribution to the UK economy and in 2023, rural areas contributed £259 billion to England’s Gross Value Added (GVA), representing 12.2% of the total GVA for England. The Government recognises the additional challenges they face with respect to infrastructure resilience and essential service delivery, and Defra works across government to ensure that these factors are appropriately reflected when funding decisions are made. In June, departmental budgets across Government were set up to 2029/30.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate funding to support mental health services for farmers in the Autumn Budget 2025.

Since May 2024, Defra has funded the Farmer Welfare Grant, providing £500k to support charity projects that improve the mental health and wellbeing of farmers in England. The fund, which runs until March 2026, supports projects designed to offer tailored support to farmers and their families as well as prevent further cases of poor mental health by helping to build resilience within farming communities, and deliver a range of essential services including the development of new online resources, provision of workshops, training events and networking opportunities, and one-to-one support. In addition, this Government is investing in mental health to ensure it receives the same attention as physical health. This includes the hiring of 8,500 new mental health support workers, which will reduce delays and provide faster treatment closer to people’s homes – including in rural communities.

If she will allocate additional funding to support police forces in rural areas.

The Government is committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle crime and the allocation of funding to police forces in England and Wales remains an important consideration. The Chancellor has announced a real terms increase in police spending power over the next three years and more details on police force funding allocations for 2026-27 will be made via the provisional police funding settlement later in the year.Through our Safer Streets Mission, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping. We have worked closely with the National Police Chief’s Council to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2029. The strategy will set out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate additional funding to (a) support farmers and (b) strengthen UK food security.

The Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast. Supporting British farmers and boosting the nation’s food security are key priorities for the Government. Following the spending review, Defra has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.

If he will allocate funding to help improve access to NHS dentistry in West Dorset constituency in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The budget for Autumn 2025 has not yet been announced, however access to National Health Service dentistry and addressing the issue of under-served areas remains a priority for the Government.

If he will allocate funding for mental health support for nurses in the Autumn Budget 2025.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out any policy changes in the Autumn Budget in the usual way.The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is very important, and the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals and support to work healthily and flexibly. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for mental health and back conditions.

If she will make it her policy to allocate funding to support transport (a) infrastructure and (b) services in West Dorset constituency in the Autumn Budget 2025.

This government recognises the challenges people face when it comes to transport provision in regions which are predominantly rural, like West Dorset. That is why we are providing £2.2 billion of Local Transport Grant capital funding over 4 years to local authorities for spending on local transport enhancements and maintenance. Dorset Council will receive over £15 million up to 2029/30 inclusive, including over £2.1 million in 2026/27. This will enable local leaders to support transport schemes in line with their key local priorities, including improvements to public transport for both urban and rural areas and making local streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. We will also be providing in the region of £900m per year to maintain and improve vital bus services. We will announce allocations for each local authority shortly.

If he will allocate funding to support mental health services for frontline NHS staff in the Autumn Budget 2025.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out any policy changes in the Autumn Budget in the usual way.The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is very important, and the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals and support to work healthily and flexibly. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for mental health and back conditions.

If he will allocate funding for mental health support for doctors in the Autumn Budget 2025.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out any policy changes in the Autumn Budget in the usual way.The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is very important, and the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals and support to work healthily and flexibly. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for mental health and back conditions.

If he will allocate ringfenced mental health funding for all NHS staff in the Autumn Budget 2025.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out any policy changes in the Autumn Budget in the usual way.The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is very important, and the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals and support to work healthily and flexibly. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for mental health and back conditions.

If he will remove the two-child benefit cap in the Autumn Budget.

The Government is committed to tackling child poverty. The Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. Commitments made at the 2025 spending review, and since then, are the latest steps in our Plan for Change to put extra pounds in people’s pockets – a downpayment on our Child Poverty Strategy, building on expansion of free breakfast clubs, the national minimum wage boost and the cap on Universal Credit deductions through the Fair Repayment Rate.

If he will make it her policy to increase the level of funding for NHS dentistry in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The budget for Autumn 2025 has not yet been announced, however access to National Health Service dentistry and addressing the issue of under-served areas remains a priority for the Government.