Written questions by Dillon.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on improving rural broadband coverage for farming communities.

Defra officials are in regular contact with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and continue to work closely with the department on connectivity issues facing rural and farming communities. Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. This includes farms and other rural businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to specialist mental health support for farmers in rural areas.

Defra is supporting farmers’ access to specialist mental health services through funding the Farmer Welfare Grant, which is designed to offer tailored support as well as prevent further cases of poor mental health by helping to build resilience within farming communities. The Department of Health and Social Care are investing to give mental health the same priority as physical health. This includes hiring 8,500 new mental health support workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment closer to home, including in rural communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource provides free business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression and suicide.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of small-scale, family-run farms to local economies in England.

Defra does not collect data which classifies whether farms are family-run and does not hold any data on the economic contribution of small-scale, family run farms to local economies in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the public receive (a) timely and (b) relevant information on flood risks.

The Environment Agency (EA) aims to issue flood alerts and warnings 30 minutes to 12 hours before flooding. The EA regularly reviews and improves its warning service, including better forecast models, adjusted thresholds for triggering alerts and warnings, and faster digital processing. This autumn, the EA will update the ‘Get flood warnings’ service to make it easier to use, more flexible, and more reliable, with clearer and more consistent messaging. The EA is also exploring artificial intelligence to deliver quicker, more accurate warnings and improve how flood risks are communicated to help people prepare.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the Environment Agency’s new flood warning service for older people.

The Get flood warnings service was designed with input from many users including older adults and those with access needs to ensure good accessibility for all. Their feedback led to improvements like clearer navigation, screen reader compatibility and combining flood alerts and warnings onto one page. Older people can still use the 24-hour Floodline helpline, which offers general support and an accessible route for people who prefer not to go online. Floodline staff can help users sign up and manage their accounts, and people can nominate a friend or family member to receive warnings on their behalf. The service meets the GOV.UK Service Standard, meaning it is designed to be inclusive and accessible to all.

Food and Rural Affairs, what flood (a) protection, (b) mitigation and (c) response measures are in place in Newbury constituency.

In Newbury constituency there are a variety of flood defences that benefit communities. These have been delivered by organisations including the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, West Berkshire Council and the Environment Agency (EA). A full list of flood Alleviation schemes that have been delivered in this constituency is below: Newbury Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) - 2013Winterbourne FAS - 2014Thatcham (seven individual projects) – 2014-2025Eastbury FAS - 2015Great Shefford FAS – 2025 The EA has a variety of support available in Newbury constituency to support communities to be aware of their flood risk. This includes online risk maps (Check the long term flood risk for an area in England - GOV.UK), free flood warnings for the River Kennet, Lambourn and groundwater (in some areas). The relevant Risk Management Authority also provides advice and guidance regarding personal and community flood plans and engages with communities via the Lambourn Valley and Newbury Flood & Drainage Forums.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to bring forward regulations on the fast fashion industry.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in due course. The Circular Economy Taskforce will initially focus on six sectors that have the greatest potential to grow the economy: textiles; agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; and transport. The Taskforce has been extensively engaging with industry leaders, trade associations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the Strategy reflects the needs and insights of all involved. As we develop the strategy, we will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and alongside The Circular Economy Taskforce we will assess what interventions may be needed across the textiles sector. The Taskforce will consider evidence across a range of interventions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that water bills do not rise in the context of the closure of Ofwat.

The price controls set as part of Price Review 2024 came into effect on 1st April 2025, setting water bill levels for 2025-2030. The abolition of Ofwat and creation of a new water regulator will not affect these. The Government has set out its intention to create a single powerful super-regulator responsible for the entire water sector, with the teeth to enforce the high standards the public rightly demand and to help protect the public from the kind of bill hikes we saw last year. Subject to consultation this autumn, the Government will abolish Ofwat and merge its functions with water functions across the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Until the single water regulator is fully established, the existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions and enforcement responsibilities in full. The Government will clarify its expectations through a Strategic Policy Statement and ministerial direction, expected to be published later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to hold (a) highway businesses, (b) agriculture businesses and (c) other non-water sector polluters accountable for water pollution.

For the first time, river systems will be managed as a whole to tackle pollution from all sources, ensuring every sector plays its part in cleaning up our waterways. Subject to consultation this autumn, the Government will abolish Ofwat and merge its functions with water functions across the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to form a single new regulator. There will be a regional element to the new regulator to ensure greater local involvement in water planning and allow all sources of pollution to be addressed across the river catchment. Until the single water regulator is fully established, the existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions and enforcement responsibilities in full. The Government will clarify its expectations through a Strategic Policy Statement and ministerial direction, expected to be published later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to lower the threshold for the number of poultry places permitted on a farm before an environmental permit is required.

The department has no current plans to lower this threshold.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will make an announcement on the future funding arrangements for Stewardship schemes that were designed to replace the loss of direct payments.

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, 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.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new iteration of the Stewardship scheme will be open to all farmers.

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, 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.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for flood defence protections.

We’re investing £2.65 billion over two years to March 2026 to maintain, repair, and build flood defences. We’re committing a further £4.2 billion over three years from April 2026, an increase of 5% per year, as announced at Spending Review 2025. We’re consulting on proposals for reforming flood defence funding, protecting all communities including rural, coastal, and poorer areas.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for announcing future funding arrangements for the Stewardship Scheme.

We will open our improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) later this year. We have started inviting farmers and land managers to begin the pre-application process and have published information that sets out what farmers and land managers can do now to help prepare to apply. CSHT will initially roll out in a controlled way by invitation, so everyone gets the right level of support.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with water companies to (a) reduce discharge levels and (b) improve water quality in local waterways in Newbury constituency.

The Environment Agency (EA) monitors water quality in the Thames catchment, including in Newbury constituency. This is set out in The Thames River Basin Management Plan. Water quality impacts from wastewater pollution are one of the key pressures resulting in many waterbodies not currently achieving good ecological status. Improving water quality is a priority for the EA who are leading the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) as part of Ofwat’s 5-yearly Price Review process. The recent 2020 – 2025 cycle included investment by Thames Water to improve wastewater treatment works (including East Shefford, Boxford and Chieveley). During the 2025-2030 cycle Thames Water is expected to reduce spills from storm overflows by 29% and reduce pollution incidents by 30%. This will involve further improvements, including at Newbury, Hungerford, and East Shefford, The EA is currently transforming its regulatory approach, developing a larger specialised workforce and delivering a step-change in inspections of permitted sites and associated enforcement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers with slurry testing to ensure correct pH levels are maintained.

Investing in proper slurry storage and management equipment is a critical step livestock farmers need to take to make best use of their organic nutrients and prevent pollution. This includes ensuring that correct pH levels are maintained prior to any application to land. We will confirm any future grant rounds in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2025 to Question 32541 on the Chalk Stream Recovery Plan, whether any of the chalk stream projects in receipt of funding from the Government's Water Environment Improvement Fund in the 2024-25 financial year are located in the Newbury constituency.

This financial year, there are over 45 chalk stream projects receiving funding from the Government's Water Environment Improvement Fund, each leveraging private investment and delivering on our commitment to ensure clean water for the future. The River Shalbourne is a chalk stream within the Newbury constituency. In 2024/25 £80,000 of WEIF Capital funding was granted to Action for the River Kennet to deliver the River Shalbourne River and Floodplain Restoration project. This project restored a section of the river to more natural conditions by ‘remeandering’ (creating bends in the river) and reconnecting the river to the floodplain. These new wetlands will provide benefits including increased water storage, drought resilience and reduction of sediment and nutrient run-off. This work has addressed pressures which will support WFD (Water Framework Directive) element improvements (currently at Moderate WFD status).

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take with (a) the Environment Agency and (b) Ofwat to ensure water companies comply with the terms of their permits.

The Environment Agency's (EA) annual water company inspections have intensified, with 4,000 planned for the end of March 2025 already completed, and a further 10,000 inspections in 2025/26. The evidence they gather will inform future annual performance assessments, investment plans and proactive enforcement action. The Water Special Measure Act will enable the EA to build on its biggest ever transformation in the way it regulates the water industry, enabling them to uncover more non-compliance and ultimately drive better performance. The Act will enable them to take action faster and with more impact. Ofwat does not have a role in monitoring or enforcing individual environmental permits, that is a matter for the EA. Ofwat may have a role if a water company is breaching legal obligations that Ofwat is responsible for enforcing. Ofwat has an on-going enforcement action against wastewater companies relating to compliance with wastewater obligations that Ofwat is responsible for enforcing, details of which can be found online: Investigation into sewage treatment works and sewerage networks.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support people in Newbury constituency with the cost of their water bills.

As the independent economic regulator, Ofwat independently scrutinises water company business plans and ensure the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December 2024, which sets company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. The Government is committed to taking action to address water poverty and help vulnerable customers with their water bills. All water companies have measures in place for customers who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, including measures such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support. Furthermore, we expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the Chalk Stream Recovery Plan.

Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system works. Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams, namely over abstraction, phosphorous pollution and physical modifications of habitats. Restoring our chalk streams to better ecological health is part of our holistic programme of reforms for the water sector. Alongside this, we are continuing to direct investment to projects that will improve chalk streams. In 2024/2025, there are over 45 chalk stream projects receiving funding from the Government's Water Environment Improvement Fund, each leveraging private investment.