Written questions by Dyke.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of a sales ban on imported (a) eggs and (b) egg products produced on farms that use battery cages.

Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards. The Government recognises the concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to require the (a) import and (b) sale of (i) eggs, (ii) pork and (ii) fur to meet UK animal welfare standards.

Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards. The Government recognises the concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the European Commission's document entitled Vision for Agriculture and Food, published on 19 February 2025, if he will hold discussions with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of implementing the same regulations as proposed in the EU on (a) the phasing out the use of cages for farmed animals and (b) extending UK animal welfare standards to imported products.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more details in due course. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and we have been clear we will protect farmers from being undercut by low welfare and low standards in trade deals. We await the EU Commission proposals with interest.

Communities and Local Government, whether consumer standards set by the Regulator for Social Housing apply to socially rented residential pitches on local authority (a) owned and (b) managed Gypsy and Traveller sites.

All registered providers of social housing, including local authorities, are required to deliver the outcomes of the consumer standards set by the independent Regulator of Social Housing (‘the regulator’). The regulatory standards apply to social housing as defined by the Housing and Regeneration Act (2008). The Act defines low-cost rental accommodation as accommodation rented below market rate and made available to those whose needs may not be adequately served by the commercial market. Socially rented residential homes on local authority owned or managed Gypsy and Traveller sites will be subject to the regulator’s consumer standards if they meet the definition of social housing under the Act.

How many schools have a place on the breakfast clubs pilot programme.

From summer term 2025, 750 state funded primary schools will be funded as early adopter schools to provide access to a free, universal breakfast club lasting at least 30 minutes that includes food.The department aims to test and learn with as many different types of schools as possible.On 24 February 2025, the department published the list of early adopter schools here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle LGBT discrimination in care homes.

It is essential that everyone living in a care home is kept safe, including those who may be more likely to experience discrimination, such as LGBT+ people. They must be treated with dignity, listened to and have their needs understood and met by their local authority. The Government recently launched a new Adult Social Care Qualification to provide those working in care with the skills and knowledge they need to support people well. This includes guidance on how to provide appropriate care which covers being sensitive to an individual's sexuality or gender identity.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing those impacted by flooding following Storm Herminia.

The Environment Agency surged support at strategic, tactical and operational levels and worked with Local Resilience Forums to manage flood impacts in areas affected by Storm Hermina. There were approximately 160 properties flooded and 6000 protected. The Environment Agency routinely provides flood warning and information and maintains 250 mobile pumps, including 17 ultra-high-volume pumps which can assist with flood recovery across England. There was no activation of the flood recovery framework or Defra led support schemes as a result of flooding caused by Storm Hermina. We recognise the devastation the storms this winter have caused to those affected. The role of any Government is to protect its citizens which is why, under our Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26. This Government inherited flood assets in their poorest condition on record, so we are also prioritising maintenance of existing flood defences, ensuring an additional 14,500 properties will have their expected level of protection maintained or restored.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle digital exclusion.

It is shocking that the last government published no digital inclusion strategy for 10 years. This Government is determined to remedy that and I hope to be able to say more soon.

What steps she is taking to improve access to electric vehicle charging for disabled people.

To address the specific barriers disabled EV drivers face when using public chargepoints, the Government co-sponsored the publication of the Publically Available Specification (PAS) 1899:2022 standard, which provides specifications on designing and instal...

Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers and land managers successfully applied for capital grants for environmental land management in (a) Glastonbury and Somerton constituency and (b) England in 2024.

Between 1 January 2024 and 28 November 2024, there have been 6573 successful applications for Capital Grants under the Environmental Land Management Schemes in England in 2024. The Rural Payment Agency cannot provide constituency data at this time due to ...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning single-use food service materials for dine-in settings that have more than 20 covers.

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics - a future where we keep our resources in use for longer; waste is reduced; we accelerate the path to net zero; we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs; our econ...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) refillable and (b) returnable packaging to help support the transition to become a circular economy.

Refillable and returnable packaging is a key part of supporting the transition to a circular economy. Defra is working with WRAP to identify and analyse measures that could be used to encourage greater use of refillable and returnable packaging.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to extend the Rural England Prosperity Fund.

The Autumn Statement on 30 October confirmed Defra’s budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Funding allocations for individual programmes for the next financial year will be determined in upcoming months through the department’s business planning exercise. The ...

Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Rural England Prosperity Fund has been spent.

Delivery of the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) has been devolved to eligible local authorities. This includes assessing and approving project applications, processing payments and day-to-day monitoring. REPF funding is available from April 2023 to M...

Food and Rural Affairs, what position the UK will take on (a) chemical recycling and (b) a mass balance approach in negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty.

At the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a new UN Plastics Treaty, the UK will align with our domestic policy on any provisions related to chemical recycling, including mass balance. Therefore, where relevant we will ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty in South Korea.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of levels of international funding needed to support new financial mechanisms that would be required under the Global Plastics Treaty.

The Government is committed to playing a leading role at the forthcoming fifth intergovernmental negotiating committee to ensure an effective plastic pollution treaty is agreed which addresses the full lifecycle of plastics. Funding will be needed from al...

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 9584 on Plastics: Treaties, what level of (a) production and (b) consumption of primary plastic polymers is sustainable.

The UK supports measures under the proposed Global Plastics Treaty to reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels, and the Government recognises that further work will be needed to establish what those sustainab...

Whether her Department has carried out an impact assessment of ending the £2 bus fare cap.

Delivering reliable and affordable public transport services for passengers is one of the government’s top priorities as we know how important this is for passengers and for local growth. The government is looking at the future of the £2 fare cap as a mat...

Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of the Project Gigabit fund has been allocated to rural areas.

The latest published data shows that between April 2022 and March 2023, 90% of premises benefiting from publicly-subsidised broadband rollout, including Project Gigabit, were rural.Almost £2 billion of contracts have been signed to connect over a million ...