Written questions by Chowns.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support the reintroduction of (a) species, (b) elk, (c) water voles, (d) eels and (e) pine martens in river catchments.

The Government supports species reintroductions, where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. Taking each species in turn: A) We are not aware of any active proposals for the reintroduction of elk. B) The conservation and recovery of water voles has been supported by a range of projects. The Environment Agency has carried out 279 projects over the last three years, including habitat works, reintroduction or translocation, research and monitoring. Forestry England has also reintroduced water voles to Kielder forest with Northumberland Wildlife Trust and have further plans to reintroduce water voles into Wild Ennerdale in the Lake District. In addition, Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme has invested in three reintroduction projects of captive bred water voles. C) Defra has no current plans to support restocking of eels. D) Forestry England works closely with both active and potential pine marten reintroduction projects across the country and are also partners on the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, and the South Cumbria Pine Marten Recovery Project, both of which released animals last autumn.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49999 on Holiday Activities and Food Programme, following the Spending Review 2025, whether the Holiday Activities and Food Programme will continue beyond March 2026; and whether the 500,000 children who are now eligible for free school meals will be eligible for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.

The government remains committed to the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme to ensure children who are eligible for free school meals can access enriching activities and healthy meals. More than £200 million has been allocated to the programme for 2025/26.We are currently working through the outcomes of the Spending Review, and we will share further information in relation to the future of the HAF programme in due course.

If she will make it her policy to reclassify housing as essential infrastructure.

On 19 June, the government published UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy. This sets out a long-term vision to deliver the infrastructure needed to drive the government’s missions, backed by at least £725 billion in infrastructure investment over the next decade. Social, economic and housing infrastructure underpin the government’s central missions and the Plan for Change. That is why this government’s strategy brings together housing, social and economic infrastructure, aligning planning and delivery over the next 10 years to support growth. The government has made its commitment to housing clear, including through major reforms to the planning system, its 10 year £39 billion investment in the Affordable Homes Programme, and the establishment of a new National Housing Bank backed with £16 billion of financial capacity, on top of £6bn of existing finance to be allocated this Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if she will publish a target for social rent housing for (a) each year and (b) the 10 year period of funding for the Affordable Homes Programme.

The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm further details in due course. The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we continue to keep the matter under review.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, how much and what proportion of the funding for the Affordable Homes Programme will be used for social rent housing in the next 10 years.

The new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme that was announced at the Spending Review will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will confirm further details in due course. The government has not set an affordable housing target to date, but we continue to keep the matter under review.

Communities and Local Government, to what energy standards homes under the Affordable Homes Programme will be built.

The government will publish the Future Homes Standard (FHS) this autumn to ensure new homes are zero carbon ready, meaning they will require no future retrofit work as the electricity grid fully decarbonises.The FHS will apply to all new homes and will ensure they have low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency. We will set out appropriate transitional arrangements for the FHS in due course to ensure a smooth adoption of the new standards.Prior to the implementation of the FHS, we expect new homes to be built to the current 2021 standards. The current standards are set at a high level, ensuring new homes are warm, comfortable and that their energy bills are minimised.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of insurance requirements for companies operating intensive poultry units, in the context of (a) avian influenza and (b) other disease outbreaks.

The UK poultry sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years. Compensation is paid by Defra for animals culled the by HM Government for disease control purposes, as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. In addition to the financial support offered to producers directly affected by outbreaks through compensation, producers can insure privately for losses not covered by Defra’s compensation scheme, this may include consequential losses including business interruption caused by control measures. Following difficult avian influenza seasons in 2021/22 and 2022/23, poultry and egg producers made the department aware of the challenges that some faced in both obtaining suitable insurance products and the increased cost of such insurance. However, we understand that renewal rates have remained high for producers with existing policies, including those companies operating intensive poultry units. Defra continues to monitor the situation and to remind producers that they are responsible for the on-farm management of their flocks. Having strong biosecurity measures in place, and maintaining them year-round, significantly reduces the risk of infection on site.

What proportion of eligible families were in receipt of Healthy Start in North Herefordshire constituency on 9 June 2025.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start and does not currently hold data on the number of people eligible for Healthy Start. The NHSBSA does not hold data on local constituencies. The table below shows the number of people on the digital scheme in the relevant local authorities as of 23 May 2025:Local authorityNumber of people on the digital schemeBlackpool1,434City of Bristol2,778County of Herefordshire736Southampton1,677Worthing348Brighton and Hove1,041East Suffolk1,129

What steps she plans to take to monitor compliance with the updated school food standards; and what support she plans to provide to schools that are not currently meeting those standards.

The department is engaging with stakeholders on revising the school food standards, to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.School governors and trustees have a statutory duty to ensure compliance with the school food standards.To improve understanding of the school food standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account, the department, along with National Governance Association, developed an online training course on school food for governors and trustees.The department is also working with the Food Standards Agency on next steps following the findings of the compliance pilot run by the department and the Food Standards Agency during the 2022/23 academic year.As with all aspects of the school food standards review, the department will keep our approaches to compliance under consideration.​

How many applicants who were (a) responsible for funeral costs and (b) in receipt of a qualifying benefit were denied a Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment because of the family tests in the eligibility criteria in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows the number of applicants who were refused a Funeral Expenses Payment for the below reasons:There is a surviving partnerThere is a closer relativeThey are not a partner, friend or relative Table 1: Funeral Expense Payments- Refusals linked to the Family Test 2020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25Number of Refusals1,1009001,2001,2001,000 Notes:- These figures have been estimated using unaudited internal DWP Management Information which is not quality assured to the same extent as Official / National statistics.- These applicants are assumed to have been responsible for funeral costs and to have been in receipt of a qualifying benefit.- Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Environmental Statements under section 20(2)(a) and (3) of the Environment Act 2021, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will not have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by any existing environmental law.

Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill concerning development and nature recovery will not reduce overall levels of environmental protection. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved. Natural England will be empowered and given the tools to deliver the conservation measures needed to secure the aims of the EDP. The government is confident that this more strategic approach to the assessment of negative effects, and delivery of conservation measures, strikes the right balance and will result in better environmental outcomes that go further than simply offsetting harm as required under current legislation.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system for regulating the land market along the lines of the French Société d’Aménagement Foncier et d’Etablissement Rural.

Defra has made no such assessment. The Land Use Consultation explored the functions of land markets in England and the case for new incentives, including regulation to support the Government’s growth, environmental, and food production objectives. The responses to the consultation will inform a Land Use Framework that will be published later this year. The Farming Roadmap will include a vision for our farming sector and set the direction for how we get there, with a focus on delivering our food security and environmental objectives and supporting farms to be resilient and profitable.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2025 to Question 12807 on Public Appointments, what recent progress he has made on publishing an updated list of significant public appointments.

An update will be provided in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to implement the judgement in Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Pickering Fishery Association [2025] EWCA Civ 378.

I refer the Member for North Herefordshire to the Minister’s written statement of 6 May 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase the level of funding for local authorities to ensure the maintenance of public rights of way.

The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review. Local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly including for public rights of way matters. My department does not provide any additional funding.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US President's Executive Order entitled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, published on 24 April 2025; and if he will issue guidance to UK nationals on the compatibility of involvement in seabed mining operations with UK membership of the International Seabed Authority.

The Government notes the US Executive Order on 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. The UK is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is committed to the continued work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to finalise the draft exploitation Regulations. The UK supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining by the ISA until there is sufficient scientific evidence to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining on marine life, and until the ISA adopts robust, enforceable regulations.

How many enquiries have hon. Members made to HMRC on errors that led to constituents being overcharged tax in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those enquiries resulted in HMRC repaying overcharged tax in each of the last five years.

HMRC receives enquiries from hon. Members through a variety of channels, including calls, emails and letters, covering a wide range of topics. HMRC does not systematically record which of these enquires specifically relate to instances of overcharged tax, nor whether they resulted in a repayment.Obtaining this information would require a detailed analysis of every enquiry raised by hon. Members. The level of resource needed to conduct such an in-depth review would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold for written parliamentary questions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that forest risk commodities implementing legislation supports the UK's commitments under the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Dialogue on (a) making finance available to smallholders, (b) supporting transition towards sustainable production and (c) strengthening enabling conditions.

The Government recognises the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course. The Government is taking action to support our FACT Dialogue commitments, working with smallholder farmers to improve sustainable practices and encourage forest-friendly businesses. For example, the Official Development Assistance funded ‘Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use’ programme supports the development of new business models which provide jobs and livelihoods, while protecting and restoring forests.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan) in response to the question from the hon. Member for Waveney Valley, during the Urgent Question on Middle East Update of 6 May 2025, Official Report, column 588, if he will publish his most recent risk assessment.

The Government published a summary of the assessment process and decisions that led to the suspension on 2 September of export licences for items that could be used by Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Further information on the assessment process can be found on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-the-international-humanitarian-law-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-account/summary-of-the-ihl-process-decision-and-the-factors-taken-into-accountThe Foreign Secretary has committed to keeping Parliament updated.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.

The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.