Written questions by Kirkham.

Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis reducing the number of (a) Dartmoor ponies and (b) other livestock will effectively control overgrazing on Dartmoor.

All prospective Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme offers have been assessed for their potential impact against a range of environmental and cultural services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity indicators. These have included qualitative assessments, drawing upon expert opinion and evidence reviews, as well as quantitative assessments, drawing upon published datasets. Through the new Countryside Stewardship Hier Tier offer we will be providing payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and making both cattle and ponies eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. We are thereby removing the competition between the two as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We have also made it clear within the new offer that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances. We cannot, exclude either cattle or ponies from stocking density calculations. All livestock contribute to the overall grazing pressure exerted on moorland. On some moorland habitats (such as peatland), it is necessary to graze with low stocking densities to support habitat restoration and maintenance. If any livestock are excluded from the stocking density calculation, then over grazing would result. This would prevent us achieving desired improvements in habitat condition.

If he will consider establishing a National Forensics Service.

The provision of high quality, timely forensic evidence is vital for an effective criminal justice system that prevents crime, prosecutes suspects, and gives victims the justice they deserve.Hardworking police and forensic scientists do an excellent job delivering these vital services every day. However, we are confident we can achieve more for the public.The Government have announced the creation of a new National Centre of Policing that will bring together crucial support services, including forensics, that local police forces can draw upon, to raise standards, and improve efficiency.We have appointed a national forensic science lead who will transform our approach by helping to create creating a new model of delivery with the police and forensic leaders to raise standards and improve efficiency, and ultimately build greater public confidence in our criminal justice system.

If she will consider creating a national forensics strategy.

The provision of high quality, timely forensic evidence is vital for an effective criminal justice system that prevents crime, prosecutes suspects, and gives victims the justice they deserve.Hardworking police and forensic scientists do an excellent job delivering these vital services every day. However, we are confident we can achieve more for the public.The Government have announced the creation of a new National Centre of Policing that will bring together crucial support services, including forensics, that local police forces can draw upon, to raise standards, and improve efficiency.We have appointed a national forensic science lead who will transform our approach by helping to create creating a new model of delivery with the police and forensic leaders to raise standards and improve efficiency, and ultimately build greater public confidence in our criminal justice system.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of police in-house forensic provision.

The provision of high quality, timely forensic evidence is vital for an effective criminal justice system that prevents crime, prosecutes suspects, and gives victims the justice they deserve.Hardworking police and forensic scientists do an excellent job delivering these vital services every day. However, we are confident we can achieve more for the public.The Government have announced the creation of a new National Centre of Policing that will bring together crucial support services, including forensics, that local police forces can draw upon, to raise standards, and improve efficiency.We have appointed a national forensic science lead who will transform our approach by helping to create creating a new model of delivery with the police and forensic leaders to raise standards and improve efficiency, and ultimately build greater public confidence in our criminal justice system.

Whether her Department imposes fines on private prisoner escort contractors for delays in journeys longer than 100 miles.

Financial penalties, known as “service credits,” are applied to Prisoner Escort and Custody Service (PECS) suppliers on any occasion where a courtroom delay has occurred because of failure by the contractor.Some individual journeys where the straight-line distance is more than 100 miles may be regulated by an ‘agreed time protocol’, agreed in advance. These protocols are an explicit agreement between the PECS supplier, the court and the prison that the prisoner will be delivered by a specified time, instead of by the usual time of 10am. If the supplier delivers the prisoner in compliance with the protocol, no service credits are applied.Where there is no agreed time protocol, the supplier will be liable to pay service credits if there is evidence that it was responsible for a failure to deliver on time.

What estimate she has made of the number of criminal cases that have collapsed due to (a) lost, (b) missing and (c) damaged evidence in the last year.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of criminal cases that have collapsed due to lost/missing or damaged evidence.

How many trials have adjourned as a result of contractors failing to deliver prisoners to trial in the last year.

The question has been interpreted to mean ineffective trials that do not start on their intended start date and need rescheduling. Trials can become ineffective for many reasons, owing to the action or inaction of the parties, or of the courts. Delays or failures to bring prisoners to court are one such reason.Data on trial effectiveness at the criminal courts, by reason for ineffectiveness, is published as part of the Criminal court statistics quarterly series.Applying the “reason” filter in the pivot table in Trial Effectiveness at Criminal Courts document enables the reader to select reasons why trials have been ineffective. Tab 14 shows instances where the defendant’s not having been produced by prisoner escort and custody services led to an ineffective trial. This includes all instances where a prisoner was not produced on time, regardless of whether the contractor was at fault. The most recent publication can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of marine licensing on marine nature targets.

Marine licensing is an important enabler for meeting marine nature targets, including our Environment Improvement Plan targets to ensure that 70% of designated features in MPAs are in favourable condition by 2042 and the remainder in recovering condition, as well as protecting 30% of UK waters by 2030. The marine licensing regime supports the delivery of these targets through assessing the impacts of licensable activities on the environment before determining if a licence will be granted, along with determining how any impacts can be managed and mitigated where activities go ahead.

If he will publish a timeline for the delivery of new vessels under the Fleet Solid Support contract with Navantia.

Successful delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme, which is currently in the design phase, remains a priority. The acquisition of Harland & Wolff (H&W) by Navantia UK (NUK), following the administration of H&W, has provided greater certainty to the delivery of the FSS programme and protects the UK’s shipbuilding capability, and the supply chain that supports this, now and over the long-term. The design work is progressing well and production of the first FSS ship is expected to begin later in 2025, with all three vessels bolstering the Royal Fleet Auxiliary over the coming decade. Whilst we have agreed with NUK the minimum changes to the contract necessary, the impact on the approved cost and in-service dates is still being assessed and will be mitigated as far as possible. On completion of this work, it will be subject to re-approval by the relevant authorities, with updates provided through official channels at the appropriate time. We are unable to comment any further on the details of the contract due to commercial sensitivities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of marine licensing on (a) conservation and (b) nature restoration.

The marine licensing regime plays a key role in the protection and conservation of the marine environment. All individual licence applications are assessed in line with Marine Plans and relevant nature legislation. Marine licensing aims to facilitate the sustainable use of the marine environment so that activities can be permitted whilst minimising any environmental impacts. Specific assessments may be required as part of a licence decision, depending on the activity and location, such as a Habitats Regulations Assessment or Environmental Impact Assessment, to determine whether a plan or proposal could have impacts on the marine environment, including on protected sites and species, and how such impacts will be managed.

If she will consider the introduction of mandatory autism awareness training for staff working in (a) HM Courts and Tribunals Service, (b) the police and (c) other areas of the criminal justice system.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of training and delegates responsibility for determining specific training needs to individual operational bodies. While autism awareness training is not currently mandatory, agencies across the justice system have the discretion to introduce such training based on operational requirements.For example, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) provides access to a Diversity and Inclusion Learning Hub for all staff, as well as a Neurodiversity Line Managers’ Handbook to support understanding of neurodiverse conditions.Any proposal to introduce mandatory autism awareness training within the Ministry of Justice would be subject to its Mandatory Learning Governance Process, which ensures consistent and robust decision-making through engagement with subject matter experts.The Home Office is the Department with oversight of policing in England and Wales and is best placed to provide detailed information regarding autism training within police forces.

When the legal aid portal will reopen.

We expect that services will be restored from early September, as part of a phased return. This is subject to testing, security and legal criteria being met.The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has written to representative bodies and providers to update them that the Portal will be replaced by a new, secure single sign-in tool for LAA online services (SiLAS). This has been subject to testing by a small pilot group throughout August.The expected phased restoration is as follows:In mid-September, Crime systems (Crime Apply, and Submit a Crime Form) will be available for access.From mid to late September, Civil systems (Civil Apply, and the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS)) will be available for access.Services relating to functionality previously provided by the Controlled Work Administration (CWA) system are expected to return from October.The LAA continues to engage with representative bodies to help shape the steps to service restoration in a way which supports legal aid providers most effectively. Regular updates are being provided to providers and further information will be published on GOV.UK closer to the go live date. In the meantime, the LAA continues to publish information and updates about SiLAS on its FAQ page: Legal Aid Agency cyber security incident: frequently asked questions - GOV.UK.

With reference to Chapter 7.2 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what discussions he is having with the Secretary of State for Transport on the rates for (a) training and (b) employment for UK resident civilian seafarers in the shipping industry.

The Government has endorsed the vision of the Strategic Defence Review and accepted all 62 of its recommendations, including those mentioned in Chapter 7.2. Implementation is underway as a priority and will be executed through a whole of UK Defence effort.

How many seafarer (a) apprentices and (b) cadets have been trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each year since 2010.

Cadetship and apprenticeship opportunities available within the RFA are designed to provide individuals with a comprehensive pathway to a fulfilling and meaningful career at sea. These programmes cater to a wide range of academic backgrounds and offer individuals the chance to develop the skills and qualifications necessary to thrive in a unique maritime environment. In 2025, and in partnership with the Maritime Trade Unions, the Royal Navy successfully made a broad pay and non-pay financial award across the RFA workforce to recruit, retain and sustain an engaged and inclusive workforce. The table below shows the numbers of apprentices and cadets trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary since 2014. Figures from prior to May 2014 are not readily available and have been excluded from the analysis. Year201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025*Total[c][c]451059776808487877044Cadet102311322413172118151710Apprentice[c][c]34737363636369725334 Notes1. 2014 and 2025 are partial years. 2014 consists of data available from 1 May 2014 to 31 December 2014. 2025 consists of data available from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025.2. This analysis defines Cadets and Apprentices who achieve promotion as having completed training.3. This analysis excludes any untrained personnel who joined through other entry routes and were not designated as an Apprentice or Cadet.4. Figures of 5 or fewer and the corresponding Total are represented by '[c]', in line with disclosure control policy.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the transfer of the functions of Healthwatch England to the Patient Experience Directorate of his Department on Healthwatch Cornwall.

The abolition of Healthwatch England and the transfer of its functions and the changes to Local Healthwatch will require primary legislation. Timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and take place when parliamentary time allows. A full Impact Assessment would be produced and published on the Government website when legislation is introduced in Parliament. No assessment has been made at this time.

Media and Sport, whether she has considered the potential merits of targeting the £400 million grassroots sports fund on swimming pools.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

What progress she has made on supporting Palestinians with UK job offers to leave Gaza.

The Government is keeping all existing visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza. Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available. More information on all routes available for a person to apply to work, study or settle/join family in the UK can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK.People requiring a visa will need to make an online visa application and submit their biometrics (digital photograph and fingerprint) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), prior to travel to the UK.

Whether he has considered the potential merits of allowing Palestinians to (a) apply for visas online and (b) provide biometrics after arrival in the UK.

The Government is keeping all existing visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza. Palestinians who wish to settle in the UK can do so via the existing routes available. More information on all routes available for a person to apply to work, study or settle/join family in the UK can be found on the GOV.UK website: Visas and immigration - GOV.UK.People requiring a visa will need to make an online visa application and submit their biometrics (digital photograph and fingerprint) at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), prior to travel to the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to restore the Agricultural Workers’ Board.

We currently have no plans to restore the Agricultural Wages Board.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeframe is for making a decision on increasing the minimum landing size of Fal oysters.

Defra agreed to the proposal by the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority to increase the minimum landing size of Fal oysters on 21 July 2025. Cornwall IFCA has been informed and further engagement on this issue with relevant stakeholders will take place in the coming weeks.