Written questions by Naish.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the future of agri-environmental farming schemes.

In the recent spending review, we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million). There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to continue the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that will better target SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. Further information about the reformed SFI will be provided shortly.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department holds information on the number of rogue builders prosecuted in England in each of the past three financial years.

My Department does not hold the data requested. Local Authorities are responsible for determining resourcing priorities in accordance with the needs of their local electorates, and the members of those electorates will differ according to the areas where they live. I otherwise refer the hon Member to UIN 18841 answered on 17 December 2024 and UIN 23175 answered on 16 January 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) local authorities and (b) Trading Standards take action against rogue builders; and what steps her Department is taking to improve the (i) frequency and (ii) success of Trading Standards actions against rogue builders.

My Department does not hold the data requested. Local Authorities are responsible for determining resourcing priorities in accordance with the needs of their local electorates, and the members of those electorates will differ according to the areas where they live. I otherwise refer the hon Member to UIN 18841 answered on 17 December 2024 and UIN 23175 answered on 16 January 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce nature-friendly farming schemes.

We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. All our Environmental Land Management schemes (Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, and Landscape Recovery) will continue, and we will continue to evolve and improve them in an orderly way to make them work for farmers and nature. We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further information about the reformed SFI will be provided shortly. The new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) service will open this month for applications to those who have been invited to apply, have received pre-application advice and have completed any preparatory work. Landscape Recovery projects that were awarded development funding in rounds one and two are continuing to progress towards the delivery phase, and the first two projects have now completed the necessary checks, signed their agreements, and are ready to start work on the ground.

When NICE last reviewed its guidance on the (a) availability and (b) prescribing of T3 for the treatment of thyroid cancer; and whether he has plans to improve access to T3 for patients where it is clinically indicated.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not made any recommendations on the use of liothyronine in the treatment of thyroid cancer. NICE published a guideline on the assessment and management of thyroid cancer in December 2022. There are currently no plans to review the guideline.NHS England produced advice for prescribers on the use of liothyronine, otherwise known as T3, in August 2023 that sets out details on those patients that may benefit from T3 and how prescribers can prescribe this medicine to those patients. It recommends liothyronine as part of the management of thyroid cancer in preparation for radioiodine remnant ablation and radioiodine therapy. The advice is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/liothyronine-advice-for-prescribers/We are aware that liothyronine 20 microgram vials will be out of stock from October 2025 until the end of April 2026. NHS England will be issuing national communications containing advice during the period of disruption to supply of the licensed product, outlining the availability of unlicensed imports and other clinical alternatives. NHS England is not aware of any supply issues affecting oral presentations of liothyronine.

Whether her Department plans to introduce targeted retention incentives for experienced teachers in addition to those offered to early-career teachers.

Supporting our expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child, as the within-school factor that makes the biggest difference to a young person’s educational outcomes is high-quality teaching. Combined with the previous year’s 5.5% award, this year’s above-inflation pay award will mean schoolteachers have seen an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.The financial incentives the department offers are targeted where there is most need to recruit and retain teachers. School workforce data shows that teachers are most likely to leave within the first five years of their career. Targeted Retention Incentives are currently offered to mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools as it is vital that we retain new teachers in these priority subjects and in the schools that need them most.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure schools have sufficient funding to retain experienced teachers alongside recruiting new staff.

This government recognises the importance of retaining experienced teachers. We have demonstrated our commitment to supporting schools by increasing school funding by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the core school budget will total £65.3 billion compared to £61.6 billion in 2024/25.In the 2025 spending review, the department has announced that funding for schools will further increase by £4.2 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26. This additional funding will provide an above real terms per pupil increase in the core schools budget.The increase for 2025/26 includes additional funding to support schools with overall costs, including the costs of the 4% schools teacher pay award and the local government services pay award in respect of support staff in 2025/26.​This follows government agreeing a 5.5% pay award for academic year 2024/25. Taken together, this means teachers and leaders will see an increase in their pay of almost 10% over two years.For 2024/25 and 2025/26, the department is also offering retention payments worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools.

What discussions his Department has had with (a) the Department of Business and Trade and (b) the Cabinet office on ensuring its supply chains do not involve forced labour.

Modern slavery is a serious human rights violation depriving individuals of their freedom and dignity while inflicting immeasurable harm on families, communities, and society as-a-whole. DESNZ is committed to tackling all forms of modern slavery, holding perpetrators to account, and ensuring that victims are supported to recover and rebuild their lives. The Government will continue to assess and monitor the effectiveness of new policy tools that are emerging to ensure we can effectively tackle forced labour in supply chains. Government’s Responsible Business Conduct Review will be a primary lever for delivering this as a cross-departmental endeavour to review and address UK’s policy regime and voluntary due diligence requirements for forced labour. Additionally, the Industrial Strategy Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan committed to embedding ethical supply chain standards into DESNZ public spend; and Great British Energy confirmed it will follow strict ethical standards to help ensure solar supply chains are free from exploitation.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including hazard perception tests for drivers who have been diagnosed with glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a condition that can affect visual fields. Driving licence holders or applicants who have glaucoma in both eyes must notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and will be required to have an eyesight test to make sure that they meet the legally required visual field standards for driving. The requirements for visual field can only be assessed through formal visual field testing. The Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel for Visual Disorders and Driving advises that the appropriate visual field assessment for determining fitness to drive is a binocular Esterman field test or, exceptionally, a Goldmann perimetry assessment. Both of these tests must be carried out to strict criteria and are conducted to the exact specifications required to enable the DVLA to assess whether the visual field requirements for driving can be met. There are no plans to use hazard perception tests for this purpose.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of instructing the DVLA to audit car park operator records in cases where a recurring pattern of disputes over charges has been identified.

The law allows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to provide vehicle keeper information to parking companies so that they can contact the registered keepers of vehicles which may have been parked on private land in breach of the terms and conditions applying. These arrangements are subject to a comprehensive range of safeguards to ensure motorists are treated fairly. Companies requesting data from the DVLA to manage private parking must belong to an appropriate accredited trade association and abide by its published code of practice. The DVLA and the Government Internal Audit Agency carry out audits on those requesting data and appropriate action will be taken if patterns are identified from complaints received.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential impact of auditing car park operator records where recurring disputes over charges have been identified on County Court caseloads.

The Government is aware of the high volumes of small claims from the parking industry and is determined to drive up standards in the parking sector. The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking. Alongside the new Code, my department is also developing a Certification Scheme which will set out rules for auditing private parking operator compliance with the Code; this will include audits of notices of parking charges including those that progress to the County Court. The private parking industry is currently self-regulating and whilst the Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Justice Secretary on this issue, my officials have had meetings with their counterparts at the Ministry of Justice and are working together to develop a Justice Impact Test to assess the impact of introducing the Code and the Certification Scheme on the justice system.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the job guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives to include (a) occupational therapists, (b) physiotherapists and (c) other allied health professionals.

There are no plans to expand the job guarantee scheme to the professions highlighted, but the Government is committed to supporting all clinical staff in their careers. The new 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking with his counterparts in multilateral organisations to (a) defend and (b) advance sexual and reproductive (i) health and (ii) rights.

The UK works with multilateral organisations including the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organisation and the Global Financing Facility, alongside governments and civil society and provides targeted funding, technical partnership and diplomatic engagement to defend and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).Earlier this year on International Women's Day, the Foreign Secretary appointed Baroness Harman as Special Envoy for Women and Girls, progressing our foreign policy and development objectives to protect women and girls' rights, including SRHR. In June 2026, she met with international counterparts and programme partners at Wilton Park, expressing the UK's commitment to defending and advancing SRHR.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to continue the Healthy Women, Children and Newborns approach in (a) 2026 and (b) 2027.

The UK is committed to supporting global efforts to end preventable maternal, child and newborn deaths by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal targets through the Healthy Women, Children and Newborn approach.Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through. We will be taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of resource allocation processes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any nutrition programmes have had their budget reduced in 2025-26.

The 2025 Spending Review has confirmed the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office's (FCDO) Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget for 2025-26. With the overall reductions to ODA budgets across the Department, there has been some impact to the central nutrition budget but decisions across Posts are yet to be finalised. The FCDO will be able to assess the financial impact of this spending review on nutrition-related spend in 2027 once nutrition-related spend data is consolidated.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle air pollution.

Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental harms to public health. Our 10-Year Health Plan (10YHP) for England sets out how the Government plans to improve the health of the nation, including a focus on prevention of ill health. The plan sets out cross-Government action to tackle air pollution. This includes a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, which will set out measures to reduce emissions and everyone’s exposure to air pollution.

What assessment his Department has made of the role of short-term, unplanned adult social care services in preventing hospital admissions for working-aged adults with (a) learning disabilities and (b) complex needs.

The Government and the National Health Service are working with local authorities and adult social care providers to help keep people well and independent for as long as possible, and to provide alternatives to hospital and care home admissions.We have set out priorities for the NHS and local authorities to begin to move to a neighbourhood health service that delivers more care closer to home and that better supports people with complex needs. We are asking local systems to systematically implement six core components of neighbourhood health, which will help people stay healthy and independent for longer and reduce unnecessary time spent in hospital. This includes integrated intermediate care services to prevent an avoidable hospital admission or as part of hospital discharge planning.NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets an objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. There is funding in NHS integrated care board baselines this financial year to improve community support provision and reduce reliance on inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people, in line with the NHS Operational Planning Guidance.The Mental Health Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 November 2024. Through our proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act, we want to ensure that people with a learning disability and autistic people get the support they need in the community, improve care, and prevent admission to hospitals.

What steps his Department is taking to support unplanned specialist social care services that help prevent hospital admissions for people with complex needs.

The Government and the National Health Service are working with local authorities and adult social care providers to help keep people well and independent for as long as possible, and to provide alternatives to hospital and care home admissions.We have set out priorities for the NHS and local authorities to begin to move to a neighbourhood health service that delivers more care closer to home and that better supports people with complex needs. We are asking local systems to systematically implement six core components of neighbourhood health, which will help people stay healthy and independent for longer and reduce unnecessary time spent in hospital. This includes integrated intermediate care services to prevent an avoidable hospital admission or as part of hospital discharge planning.NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets an objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people. There is funding in NHS integrated care board baselines this financial year to improve community support provision and reduce reliance on inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people, in line with the NHS Operational Planning Guidance.The Mental Health Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 November 2024. Through our proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act, we want to ensure that people with a learning disability and autistic people get the support they need in the community, improve care, and prevent admission to hospitals.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Stamp Duty on serving armed forces personnel who are required to maintain a second property owing to service postings.

The higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) apply to the purchases of additional residential property, including second homes and buy-to-let investments. A refund of the additional 5% rate may be claimed if the previous main residence is sold within three years of acquiring the new one. In some circumstances, for example, armed forces personnel may not meet the higher rates refund criteria if renting out their home whilst living in service family accommodation or where they are posted away or deployed overseas for long periods. As SDLT returns do not collect details of the employment status of purchasers we are unable to make a quantative assessment of the number of serving armed forces personnel who have incurred the higher rate of SDLT on the purchase of additional dwellings or of those able to successfully meet the refund criteria.