Written questions by Morello.

What discussions his Department has had with pharmaceutical manufacturers on resolving supply chain issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy medications; and what his planned timetable is for the restoration of normal supply levels.

The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to boost production to mitigate the supply issue. Through this work we have managed to secure additional volumes of PERT for 2025. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market. In December 2024, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to consider these unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a webpage to include the latest update on PERT availability and easily accessible advice on the prescribing and ordering of alternative PERT products.We expect normal supply to resume in 2026 but will remain focused on pushing manufacturers to shorten this timeline. The Department also has frequent conversations with representatives from the impacted patient groups so that they are informed on the supply situation and the mitigation actions being taken.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle supply chain issues limiting the production of sustainable aviation fuel.

Sustainable aviation fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 70% on average over the lifecycle of its production and use, when replacing fossil kerosene. It is an important technology to help decarbonise the aviation sector. This Government’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Mandate could deliver up to 6.3 megatonnes of carbon savings per year by 2040. We work proactively with international partners, particularly across Europe and at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to promote both robust and consistent sustainability standards and certification processes for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally. Our own domestic schemes, such as the SAF Mandate, have been designed to facilitate the certification of fuels in an international context while maintaining robustness. The government is working to address barriers to SAF production and use in the UK. The government introduced a SAF Mandate on 1st January 2025 which will build demand for SAF in the UK. To support UK SAF production, the government has allocated £63 million in 2025/2026 which will directly support UK SAF plants through the Advanced Fuels Fund and has committed to legislate to introduce a revenue certainty mechanism to further help de-risk UK SAF projects.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of exclusion zones in preventing the spread of blue tongue virus.

Defra’s approach to bluetongue considers the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Decisions regarding the extent of zones take into account the location of premises where bluetongue has been detected in addition to wider considerations regarding protecting the national herd and flock in the highest density livestock areas to the west and north of England where transmission of bluetongue has not yet been detected. Further details of the evidence that supports these decisions can be found in the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) outbreak assessments and assessment of the risk of wind-borne introduction of infected vectors to the UK. The current extent of the restricted zone and the distribution of bluetongue cases detected to date can be viewed on APHA’s interactive map. Defra and APHA working closely with key industry stakeholders, including the Livestock Auctioneers Association, continue to remain vigilant to any changes in bluetongue risk. To inform our decisions on control measures and the extent of disease control zones and the movements within, to and from these zones which can be licensed we are undertaking surveillance of susceptible animals. This approach aims to ensure disease control measures including the extent of the restricted zone are proportionate to the risk whist minimising the burdens on livestock keepers and allied sectors.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department considers the location of (a) livestock markets and (b) farms when determining exclusion zones for Blue Tongue Virus.

Defra’s approach to bluetongue considers the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Decisions regarding the extent of zones take into account the location of premises where bluetongue has been detected in addition to wider considerations regarding protecting the national herd and flock in the highest density livestock areas to the west and north of England where transmission of bluetongue has not yet been detected. Further details of the evidence that supports these decisions can be found in the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) outbreak assessments and assessment of the risk of wind-borne introduction of infected vectors to the UK. The current extent of the restricted zone and the distribution of bluetongue cases detected to date can be viewed on APHA’s interactive map. Defra and APHA working closely with key industry stakeholders, including the Livestock Auctioneers Association, continue to remain vigilant to any changes in bluetongue risk. To inform our decisions on control measures and the extent of disease control zones and the movements within, to and from these zones which can be licensed we are undertaking surveillance of susceptible animals. This approach aims to ensure disease control measures including the extent of the restricted zone are proportionate to the risk whist minimising the burdens on livestock keepers and allied sectors.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) track the effectiveness of measures to reduce nitrogen leaching from agriculture.

The Environment Agency (EA) is tasked with enforcing the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations (Nitrate Regulations) and the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution Regulations (Farming Rules for Water (FRfW)). The EA monitors nitrate concentrations in surface and groundwaters and any changes in water quality. The Nitrate Regulations include requirements on maximum application rates for manures and fertilisers containing nitrogen. Under the FRfW, land managers are required to plan their applications of organic manures and manufactured fertilisers, taking account of up-to-date soil sampling. This ensures that they do not apply more nitrogen than the soil and crop need, which would present significant risk of diffuse agricultural pollution. Defra have statutory duties to periodically review the effectiveness of the Nitrate Regulations and the FRfW. Though these reviews are overdue, this Government is prioritising finalising them and aim to publish them as soon as practically possible.

Whether she has plans to make changes to the tax-free allowance for Individual Savings Accounts.

Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) incentivise greater saving and investment by helping people save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. They support people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save. The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review.

Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of loans provided to rugby union clubs under government support schemes have been repaid; and if she will provide a breakdown of repayments by club.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and our arm’s-length bodies, Sport England and UK Sport, do not provide direct funding to professional rugby union clubs.Since 2020, DCMS has provided loans to rugby union clubs via the Sport Survival Package (SSP). This package of emergency funding was provided to support organisations who were negatively impacted by Covid-19 restrictions to fulfil their sporting commitments, including Premiership Rugby League and RFU Championship clubs.SSP loans were distributed to 13 Premiership rugby clubs (total value of £123.81 million) and seven Championship clubs (total value of £4.84 million).DCMS is not able to comment on repayments of individual borrowers or leagues given the commercial sensitivity.As well as loans, DCMS provides the majority of support for grassroots rugby through Sport England. Sport England has awarded the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, £13.86 million for the period 2022-27 as one of Sport England’s long-term system partners to support grassroots rugby union.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the financial situation of rugby clubs that have (a) entered administration and (b) ceased operations.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not make assessments of the financial situation of rugby clubs post ceasing operations.The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is independent of the Government and is responsible for the regulation of rugby union, and for protecting and promoting the financial sustainability of the sport.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support research and development in more efficient and sustainable (a) tractor attachments and (b) harvesting machinery.

The Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) provides competitive funding to research projects developing innovative practices and technologies, including efficient and sustainable attachments for tractors and harvesting machinery. This has included support the development of, for example, electronic weeding attachments and crop harvesting robots for strawberries, courgettes and asparagus. An additional £42.6 million of FIP funding will be available from 2025/2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, what incentives are available for farmers to invest in innovative irrigation systems that enhance water efficiency in controlled environment agriculture.

We are committed to supporting all farming sectors to increase levels of productivity whilst increasing their sustainability and resilience. We are looking carefully at how to position further investment and support to enable the delivery of this Government's objectives, including on water management. We plan to simplify and rationalise our grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. The forthcoming round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, to launch in Spring 2025, will support the uptake of innovative technology and equipment that is commercially available. The scheme has historically offered grants for water management equipment and will be open to farmers across England. The full list of eligible equipment will be published within the scheme guidance ahead of the scheme launch. We will confirm any further future grant rounds in due course following the forthcoming Spending Review.

If he will make an assessment of the level of availability of funding for newly qualified midwives at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Decisions on the level of funding available for hiring newly qualified midwives is a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. Trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.While we have no plans to make a specific assessment of Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, we are committed to recruiting the staff the NHS needs across all parts of the country to get patients seen on time. In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that newly qualified midwives in Dorset can secure employment at local NHS trusts upon completing their training.

Decisions about the employment of newly qualified midwives is a matter for individual National Health Service trusts, including in Dorset. Trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

What assessment his Department has made of the average cost to student midwives of (a) unpaid clinical placement hours and (b) student loan debt; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to student midwives.

No such assessment has been made. Students undertaking pre-registration midwifery courses can access support from Student Finance England (SFE). This includes payment for tuition fees, a partially means-tested loan for living costs and, where applicable, other grants, such as for childcare.The Government has announced that the maximum loans and grants for living and other costs from SFE will increase by forecast inflation, by 3.1% for the 2025/26 academic year, based on the RPIX inflation index.In addition to support provided by SFE, eligible midwifery students receive a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per year via the NHS Learning Support Fund. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs, and travel.Funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what funding opportunities his Department offers farmers to introduce precision agriculture tools.

The Government is committed to supporting farmers in adopting innovative technologies to improve productivity and sustainability. The Accelerating Development of Practices and Techniques (ADOPT) Fund, which will open for applications in the spring, provides funding for on-farm trials of new technologies and techniques. This can include precision agriculture tools [such as GPS-guided machinery, variable-rate application systems, and remote sensing technology]. In addition, the forthcoming round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF), to launch in Spring 2025, will support the uptake of innovative technology and equipment that is commercially available. The scheme will be open to farmers across England and a list of eligible equipment will be published within the scheme guidance ahead of its launch.

Media and Sport, how much (a) funding and (b) loans her Department has provided to professional rugby union clubs since 2020.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and our arm’s-length bodies, Sport England and UK Sport, do not provide direct funding to professional rugby union clubs.Since 2020, DCMS has provided loans to rugby union clubs via the Sport Survival Package (SSP). This package of emergency funding was provided to support organisations who were negatively impacted by Covid-19 restrictions to fulfil their sporting commitments, including Premiership Rugby League and RFU Championship clubs.SSP loans were distributed to 13 Premiership rugby clubs (total value of £123.81 million) and seven Championship clubs (total value of £4.84 million).DCMS is not able to comment on repayments of individual borrowers or leagues given the commercial sensitivity.As well as loans, DCMS provides the majority of support for grassroots rugby through Sport England. Sport England has awarded the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for rugby union in England, £13.86 million for the period 2022-27 as one of Sport England’s long-term system partners to support grassroots rugby union.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the adoption of hydroponic systems among traditional farmers.

The Government is committed to supporting farmers in adopting innovative technologies to improve productivity and sustainability. The Accelerating Development of Practices and Techniques (ADOPT) Fund, which will open for applications in the spring, provides funding for on-farm trials of new technologies and techniques. This may include trials exploring the application of hydroponics in various farming environments.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of promoting the adoption of AI-driven monitoring systems in agriculture.

The Government is committed to supporting farmers in adopting innovative technologies to improve productivity and sustainability. The Accelerating Development of Practices and Techniques (ADOPT) Fund, which will open for applications in the spring, provides funding for on-farm trials of new technologies and techniques. This can include precision agriculture tools [such as GPS-guided machinery, variable-rate application systems, and remote sensing technology]. In addition, the forthcoming round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF), to launch in Spring 2025, will support the uptake of innovative technology and equipment that is commercially available. The scheme will be open to farmers across England and a list of eligible equipment will be published within the scheme guidance ahead of its launch.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department provides for large-scale farms transitioning to agroecological approaches.

Agroecological practices promote sustainable and resilient approaches to farming. This aligns with the goals of the government’s Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, which will fund improvements to food security, biodiversity, carbon emissions, water quality, air quality and flood resilience. We consider much of the funding under our ELM schemes as supporting agroecological practices. As announced in October 2024, Defra’s farming budget will be £2.4 billion in 2025/26. ELM remains at the centre of our offer for farmers and will be funded by the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history of £1.8 billion. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help encourage the adoption of agroforestry systems where crops are planted among trees to help improve (a) biodiversity and (b) resilience.

Defra recognises that agroforestry provides an important opportunity to increase the number of trees on farms, providing many environmental benefits, while maintaining agricultural production. The key steps the Government is taking are: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: This scheme provides funding for agroforestry practices, encouraging farmers to integrate trees into their farming systems to improve environmental outcomes and farm resilience. The options include maintaining very low and low density in-field agroforestry on more sensitive land and medium and high density in-field agroforestry, with payment rates of £248 to £849 per hectare per year.Agroforestry Plan (PA4): Farmers can receive £1268.08 to complete an agroforestry plan to support planning, creating, and managing agroforestry systems. This includes specialist advice from Forestry Commission or Natural England advisers.Sustainable Farming Incentive: This scheme provides funding for agroforestry practices, encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices that improve soil health, reduce erosion, and enhance biodiversity. The options include maintaining very low density and low density in-field agroforestry on less sensitive land, with payment rates of £248 to £385 per hectare per year. Schemes are being rolled out in a controlled manner. Due to demand some Capital Grants are temporarily paused and expected to reopen in summer 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department offers young individuals seeking to start their own farming enterprises.

Attracting bright new talent into land-based careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. Defra works closely with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) which is encouraging young people and new entrants into farming in its capacity as an industry led professional body for the farming industry. This includes leading a cross-industry initiative to address common negative misconceptions about the sector and providing free TIAH membership for students. TIAH is also developing online capabilities to support matching mentees with mentors, and those looking for land with those who wish to provide access to land. Furthermore, the Government has launched Skills England to ensure there is a comprehensive suite of apprenticeships, training and technical qualifications for individuals and employers to access, which are aligned with skills gaps and what employers need. It will work with its partners to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met.