Written questions by Evans.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12597 on Agriculture: Subsidies, when he plans to make a decision on future financial aid schemes for the sector.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs. Defra meets regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November to Question 12597 on Agriculture: Subsidies, if he will (a) meet with UK fruit and vegetable growers and (b) provide a communication portal for the submission of views about future financial aid schemes for the sector.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce. As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs. Defra meets regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.

Whether he plans to continue to support the TRANSFORM prostate cancer screening trial.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, and the Government is strongly committed to supporting research into cancer. The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend, at over £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority.The TRANSFORM trial is an important example of prostate cancer research, as a £42 million screening trial which aims to find ways of detecting prostate cancer earlier. Prostate Cancer UK is leading the development of the trial, with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR. The TRANSFORM trial will also aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis today, ensuring that at least 10% of the men who are invited to participate in the trial are black, to inform a targeted approach for earlier diagnosis.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including prostate cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for setting out further grants through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

We are looking carefully at how to position further investment including grants as part of the Spending Review process. Eligible cattle, sheep and pig farmers can still apply for a funded vet visit to improve their animals’ health and welfare.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway in encouraging cage free systems of farming.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway has made grants available to improve the health and welfare of livestock. The grants have been codesigned with farmers, academics, vets and industry representatives.  We continue to work with the industry on how the Pathway can encourage cage free systems of farming.

What steps his Department plans to take to support (a) hospices, (b) GPs and (c) care homes, in the context of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for the next year in due course.

Pursuant to the Answers of 10 September 2024 to Questions 3805 and 3806 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, if she will hold discussions with (a) public and (b) private bodies on taking steps to ensure that new charging points offer guaranteed high speed chargers for electric vehicles.

The Government communicates regularly with chargepoint operators, trade associations and industry to discuss the rollout of fast and reliable chargepoints.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to extend the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme after 2025.

The Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme and legislation in place which will close it on the 31 of December 2025. The Government has committed to championing British farming, whilst protecting the environment, and is currently considering the best way to support our farming sectors in the future, including horticulture.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle puppy smuggling.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. As outlined in our manifesto we will end puppy smuggling. We are considering the most effective ways to deliver our commitments and will be setting out next steps in due course.

What steps her Department is taking to support the long-term funding of Leicestershire Police.

The 2024-25 police funding settlement provides Leicestershire Police with funding of up to £256.0 million in 2024-25. The Home Office will provide additional government grant funding of £175 million to policing in 2024-25 to support the costs of the 2024 police pay award, from which Leicestershire will receive a further £2.4 million.The Budget published on 30 October confirmed that the core government grant for police forces in England and Wales will increase in 2025-26. Further details and force level allocations will be set out at the forthcoming provisional settlement in December.Funding for future years beyond 2025-26 will be set out in phase 2 of the Spending Review.

With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of changes to National Insurance contributions on (a) hospices, (b) GPs and (c) care homes.

Resource spending for the Department of Health and Social Care is set to increase by £22.6 billion in 2025-26 compared to 2023-24 outturn, providing a real-terms growth rate of 4% for the NHS, the largest since before 2010 excluding Covid-19 years. The Government will support local authority services through a real terms increase in core local government spending power of around 3.2%, including at least £600 million of new grant funding to support social care.The government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year. Our tax regime for charities, including exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.The Budget will provide support for government departments and other public sector employers for additional Employer NICs costs only. Private sector firms or charities including hospices or social care providers that are contracted by central or local Government will not be exempt from these changes. General Practitioners are independent contractors and therefore will not be exempt from these changes.This is consistent with the approach to previous Employer NICs changes, as was the case with the previous Government’s Health and Social Care Levy.DHSC will confirm funding for General Practice for 25/26 as part of the usual GP contract process later in the year, including through consultation with the sector.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) agricultural property relief and (b) business rate relief on long-term food security.

The Government has published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief#:~:text=From%206%20April%202026%2C%20the,rather%20than%20the%20standard%2040%25. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill. Agricultural land and associated buildings are exempt from business rates. The Government made announcements at Autumn Budget 2024 to support and improve food security. The Government has provided £5 billion across this year and next to support the ongoing transition towards a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England. This will strengthen the domestic sector and improve food security.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing levels of pay and (b) reviewing conditions for teaching assistants.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and the smooth running of schools. They are crucial to ensuring children are given the best possible life chances.In the survey ‘Use of teaching assistants in schools’, carried out by the department in 2023, 75% of school leaders reported they found it either 'fairly’ or ‘extremely’ difficult to recruit teaching assistants. The survey found that retention was difficult for 29% of leaders. The department values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce and will address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). The SSSNB will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook, training, career progression routes and fair pay rates for support staff. This reform will ensure that schools can recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality, inclusive education and drive high and rising standards, so that every child has the best life chances.

What assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of retention of teaching assistants; and what steps her Department is taking to support recruitment of teaching assistants.

School support staff play a vital role in children’s education and the smooth running of schools. They are crucial to ensuring children are given the best possible life chances.In the survey ‘Use of teaching assistants in schools’, carried out by the department in 2023, 75% of school leaders reported they found it either 'fairly’ or ‘extremely’ difficult to recruit teaching assistants. The survey found that retention was difficult for 29% of leaders. The department values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce and will address recruitment and retention challenges by reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). The SSSNB will be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook, training, career progression routes and fair pay rates for support staff. This reform will ensure that schools can recruit and retain the staff needed to deliver high quality, inclusive education and drive high and rising standards, so that every child has the best life chances.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support the (a) TV and (b) film industry outside of London.

The government is firmly committed to supporting the growth of the TV and film industry across every nation and region.Our TV sector, in particular, is centralised in London and the South East, which is why my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State has called on broadcasters to be more ambitious in growing the sector outside of London and the South East, and to commission more content from right across the UK. My Department is taking forward work to understand the barriers to further growing the industry outside of London and we are committed to working with the sector to ensure the right framework, conditions and support are in place for this to happen.Through our UK-wide funding programmes, investment in infrastructure, tax reliefs and support for independent British content, we want the UK to be the best place in the world to make films. We fund the British Film Institute (BFI) to support the film sector through nationwide funding and initiatives. The BFI’s ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out its core principle to reach across the full breadth of our nation. The BFI have sought to devolve funding, share power, and support networks across regions, in particular through their Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) which is a collaboration of 8 film hubs.The BFI is also tackling skills shortages in the sector to underpin growth across the UK. Under the BFI’s National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund, £8.1 million has been awarded to enable six Skills Clusters across the UK to identify skills gaps, coordinate local skills training, and develop clearer pathways to long-term employment in the sector.We support the British Film Commission’s (BFC) work, with £6 million in funding, over the last five years. This funding has supported the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK, by investing in infrastructure and attracting global film productions that bring inward investment into the local and national economy.We also want to support independent British content, to ensure stories from across the UK are told on screen. We recently brought in the Independent Film Tax Credit to support homegrown talent. This will mean that for the first time productions with a budget up to £15 million will be eligible for a relief of 53% on qualifying expenditure. Films with a budget up to £23.5 million are also eligible for the IFTC and the relief will be tapered. We also support indie content across the nations and regions to grow internationally through the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF).At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor confirmed that from 1 April 2025, UK visual effects costs in film and high-end TV productions will receive a 5% increase in Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC), for an overall rate of 39%.In addition, to boost the contribution of film tourism to local economies, DCMS Arm’s-Length Body VisitBritain uses high profile filming locations across the UK as part of its international tourism marketing activity.

Media and Sport, when she plans to conclude her review of Arts Council England.

The previous public body review of Arts Council England was paused during the election and has now been closed.We have announced a new review of Arts Council England and further details will be announced in due course.After 14 years of indifference and cultural vandalism, this government is committed to making sure that arts and cultural activities will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 5385 on Pension Credit, how much extra funding her Department has secured for additional staffing to improve processing times.

The details of the departmental budgets for 24/25 and 25/26 will be agreed through the Spending Review. This will include details of funding to support Pension Credit claims.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department plans to take through the new joint government working group on children’s online safety to assess the impact of the illegal sale of IPEDs and anabolic steroids via social media platforms on young people.

The UK’s Online Safety Act places duties on online platforms to tackle illegal content and protect children’s safety by mitigating risks identified. Platforms will need to put in place proactive measures to prevent the unlawful supply, or offer to supply, of controlled drugs on their services.The government recognises that these issues must also be addressed working with our international partners. Once established, the new UK-US working group will facilitate the sharing of expertise and evidence, including from implementation of the UK’s Online Safety Act.

If she will introduce a road safety campaign to reinforce the importance of safe driving around horses and their riders.

The Government's flagship road safety campaign, THINK!, aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. The THINK! Campaign plays an important role in raising awareness of, and encouraging compliance with, new road safety legislation. This has recently included changes to The Highway Code, which were made on 29 January 2022 and aimed to improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Universal Studios on proposals for a theme park in Bedfordshire.

DCMS supports NBCUniversal’s proposal to invest in Bedfordshire. A world-class, large-scale resort and theme park has the potential to transform the area, drive growth, create thousands of jobs and boost UK tourism.The details of conversations between private investors and the Government are confidential.