Written questions by Heylings.

If she will seek information from the EHRC on which (a) people and (b) organisations were consulted before the issue of the EHRC interim guidance on the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of the government. It is for the EHRC to ensure that any consultation process is appropriate and meaningfully engages with varied stakeholders.The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. It is a snapshot reflection, rather than full guidance. The EHRC has already committed to supporting service providers with its updated statutory Code of Practice; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of removing Apprenticeship Levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on the number of people using the apprenticeship route to obtain higher-level qualifications; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this change on young people.

I refer the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43275.

If she will ask the EHRC to publish their full plans for consulting (a) the transgender community and (b) people who are intersex before publishing their full guidance in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is independent of government. It is for the EHRC to ensure that the consultation process is appropriate and meaningfully engages with varied stakeholders.The Government expects them to do this widely and broadly, listening to diverse voices.

Whether her Department has considered changing the withdrawal percentage for Lifetime ISAs.

The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is designed to support people to achieve the aspiration of homeownership, or to build up savings for their later life. LISA funds, including any Government bonus, can be withdrawn for the purchase of a first home under £450,000, in the case of terminal illness or from the age of 60.Any unauthorised withdrawals are subject to a 25% withdrawal charge. This recoups the Government bonus, any interest or growth arising from it, and a proportion of the individual’s initial savings. Reducing the withdrawal charge would encourage the use of LISAs in ways for which they were not intended.The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of enabling local authorities access to up-to-date Universal Credit claimant data for all claimants in their area.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises the benefits of further Universal Credit data sharing with Local Authorities to support vulnerable citizens.DWP is working on a project to do exactly this, and aims to have delivered a test version to a small group of LAs by Spring 2026. Subject to this test being successful, we will roll this out to all LAs during the rest of 2026.

Whether his Department has received (a) evidence and (b) data from the life sciences industry on increasing the NHS medicines budget.

We regularly engage with the life sciences sector to understand what the latest data and evidence shows about the impact of Government policies on patient outcomes, innovation, and growth, including through the ongoing Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access, and Growth mid scheme review. We take all evidence we receive seriously and, alongside our own analysis and patient engagement, use this to refine our policy thinking. Decisions on the size of the medicines budget are, therefore, taken in the round considering the overall needs of the health system as well as the impact on the sector.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making legislative changes allowing birth certificates issued with an error to be re-issued with the original detail amended, rather than retaining the original form with a correction note.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.

What assessment the Government has made of the impact of the (a) Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 and (b) interim EHRC guidance on that ruling on people who are intersex.

The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. The EHRC has already committed to supporting service providers with its updated statutory Code of Practice following consultation; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.

Whether the Government has a definition of biological sex for (a) people with Turner Syndrome, (b) people with Klinefelter syndrome, (c) people with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, (d) people with Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, (e) people with Swyer syndrome and (f) people with tetragametic chimerism.

The Government understands people with those conditions to have Variations in Sex Characteristics, but we do not hold central definitions of the biological sex of people who have these conditions, nor do we keep any records.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of prescription medication that is wasted.

NHS England has made data, tools, and resources available to integrated care boards (ICBs), primary care networks, and general practices following the 2021 overprescribing review. These include a National Medicines Optimisation Opportunity dashboard for ICBs, a Polypharmacy Comparators dashboard, an Oversupply Dashboard for general practice and primary care networks, and an Opioid Prescribing Comparators dashboard.The overprescribing review set out a series of practical and cultural changes to ensure patients are receiving the most appropriate treatment for their needs, while ensuring clinicians’ time is well spent and taxpayer money is spent wisely. The recommendations aim to support National Health Service systems to highlight variation, identify opportunities for medicines optimisation improvement, and support ongoing monitoring.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide funding for agroforestry support to include (a) multi-species planting and (b) increased tree planting densities to enable woodland systems suitable for (i) pigs and (ii) poultry.

Our in-field agroforestry offers under the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes allow flexibility for land managers to decide on tree species and densities that suit their objectives, to realise the multiple benefits that trees provide in the farming landscape. Land managers are able to establish and maintain a wide range of eligible woodland and fruit tree species, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eligible-tree-species-elm-agroforestry-action. Land managers can also be paid a species diversity bonus for planting 5 or more species of tree, to help improve the resilience of agroforestry systems. Our ELM in-field agroforestry offers allow for a range of planting densities. Under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, land managers can establish and maintain in-field agroforestry systems with an average of 30-130 trees per hectare on low sensitivity land. Our Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offers will pay land managers to maintain in-field agroforestry systems up to an average of 400 trees her hectare.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to adapt farming subsidy schemes to encourage farmers to (a) house farmed animals in woodlands and (b) plant woodlands in permanent pasture.

Our in-field agroforestry offers under the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes include support for establishing and maintaining silvopastoral systems, where trees are planted in pasture to realise their multiple benefits such as enhanced animal welfare and supporting biodiversity. Under Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT), land managers can plant and maintain in-field agroforestry systems up to an average of 400 trees her hectare, as well create, manage and restore Wood Pasture and Parkland systems. Land managers can be supported to design agroforestry in a way that meets their objectives through the Agroforestry Plan capital item.

Whether she conducted an impact assessment on restrictions to support through the adoption and special guardianship support fund.

The new criteria for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund will enable as many children and families as possible to access the available funding. The department always assesses the impact of changes on vulnerable children. This includes reviewing the equalities impact assessment, which will be made available in the House Libraries in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislation to end retail sales of horticultural peat.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra is committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs, and is looking at next steps regarding measures to ban horticultural peat. The Department will continue to work alongside the horticultural sector to accelerate progress on the peat free transition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to meet climate change adaptation commitments.

Defra is the lead department for domestic adaptation to climate change, and as such it is responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008. Defra is the owning department for about half of the 61 risks and opportunities identified in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) and works closely with the eleven other departments which own the remaining risks. We are in the process of delivering the third National Adaptation Programme which was published in 2023 and covers how Government will meet the challenges posed by climate change to key sectors including infrastructure, natural environment, health, communities the built environment, business and industry. We are committed to strengthening the nation’s resilience including by taking steps which: Improves governance and monitoring processesTranslates evidence into action, andAssess and strengthen the framework of objectives. The department is also exploring how to set out stronger objectives to drive action to increase our preparedness for the impacts of climate change up to and beyond the next National Adaptation Programme in 2028.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle persecution of birds of prey.

Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife. Where any wild bird of prey is killed illegally the full force of the law should apply to proven perpetrators of the crime. Defra supports the work of the national Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle bird of prey persecution. Furthermore, Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime (including bird of prey crime) by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £424,000 for NWCU in 2025-2026. In addition, Defra provides funding to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme, which makes enquiries into the death of wildlife that may have resulted from pesticide or rodenticide poisoning. We have also provided funding to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to develop DNA forensic analysis for the police and other organisations investigating crimes against peregrine falcons.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a licensing system for grouse shooting in England.

The Government recognises well-managed grouse shooting can be an important part of a local rural economy, providing direct and indirect employment. It also appreciates that many people hold strong views on the issue of grouse shooting and there is evidence to suggest a link between it and crimes against birds of prey. While Defra has not yet made any formal assessment of the potential merits of the licensing of grouse shooting in England, it will continue to work to ensure a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between grouse shooting and conservation

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help restore peatlands.

The Government recognises the importance of England’s peatlands, and in our manifesto, we committed to expanding nature-rich habitats such as peatlands. This will contribute to ensuring nature’s recovery, one of Defra’s five priorities. We have ambitions to restore hundreds of thousands of hectares of peatlands across the country, and we are working to ensure that we have the most effective mechanisms in place to go further than we have before. Peatland restoration is currently funded via the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, and going forwards will be primarily funded through Environmental Land Management schemes, such as the Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship schemes. Private finance will also be vital if we are to meet our peatland restoration ambitions. To support peatland restoration, the Government is implementing a range of policies that will mobilise private investment. These include working with the IUCN to attract investment through the Peatland Code.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect blue carbon habitats from damaging human activities.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Poole, Neil Duncan-Jordan, in February 2025, PQ 28248. In England, we have established a comprehensive network of 181 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which cover the majority of our saltmarsh and seagrass habitats. While blue carbon habitats may not always be an explicitly designated feature, MPA protection may still yield benefits. Our focus is now on ensuring that these MPAs are effectively protected to allow the designated features to achieve favourable condition. Three Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMAs) designations in English waters came into force in summer 2023. Two of the three designated sites, Allonby Bay and North East of Farnes Deep, contain blue carbon habitats. Defra set up the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in partnership with DESNZ and the Devolved Administrations to address evidence gaps around these important habitats. We are funding a multi-year research project to increase our understanding of UK seabed sediment carbon storage and sequestration, the impact of human activities and to model potential management interventions. Initial outputs from this work were published in January 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the UK meets its 2030 nature recovery targets.

Our biodiversity targets, alongside other statutory targets on tree canopy and woodland cover, water and air quality, marine protected areas, and resource efficiency, will drive action for nature recovery.We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26, benefiting nature and biodiversity.Local Nature Recovery Strategies are being prepared and published across England by responsible authorities. They will enable effort to be focussed on the actions and locations which will have most benefit to nature and the wider environment.Our Environmental Land Management schemes will restore, maintain and enhance existing ‘high value’ biodiversity assets, create new wildlife rich habitats, incentivise nature friendly and sustainable farming measures to reverse declines in farmland species and support bespoke species recovery actions.At COP16, we confirmed our vision for protecting and effectively managing 30% of land for nature by 2030 (30by30).The Government has concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23). We published a statement of the rapid review’s key findings on 30 January 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised EIP. The revised EIP will focus on cleaning up our waterways, reducing waste across the economy, planting millions more trees, improving air quality and halting the decline in species by 2030.