Written questions by Anderson.

How many youth hubs will be established in rural areas.

The government is committed to breaking down barriers to success and opportunity. Too many children and young people today do not have access to the same enrichment opportunities as their peers, suffer from poor mental health, and, in some cases, end up being drawn into crime rather than going on to achieve and thrive.Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Ensuring young people from rural areas are included in the rollout of Young Futures Hubs is incredibly important.As part of the development process, the department is engaging with local areas, communities, statutory partners, charities and other key stakeholders to support the design of the Young Futures Hubs and explore options for their delivery. This will ensure we are making use of the vast knowledge and experience that already exists, and will include considerations of the most suitable locations, as well as how best to engage with those young people who would benefit most from their support. The number of Young Futures Hubs, their specific locations and their reach are still being determined, and we will share further information regarding these Hubs in due course.

Whether she is taking steps to support small businesses in rural areas with international trade.

Under the umbrella of the recently announced Business Growth Service, UK businesses can access The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) wealth of export support via Great.gov.uk. This comprises an online support offer and a wider network of support including the Export Academy, UK Export Finance, the International Markets network and one-to-one support from International Trade Advisers.DBT is piloting an enhanced partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, taking a targeted place-based approach to accelerate small business growth through exporting across the region. This will be rolled out to other regions across England over the next 12 months.We will bring forward further proposals next year.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish a licensing regime for hand carwashes.

The Hand Car Wash sector is one of Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (ODLME) priority areas. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) have taken a proactive stance working closely with the Responsible Hand Car Wash scheme and Nottingham Trent University to understand the issues and maximise opportunities to address them within current legislation.As the scheme has concluded, the Government is assessing these evaluations to understand how both to bolster compliance, and support sector-led initiatives. The Home Office and enforcement bodies, such as the GLAA, continue to support industry initiatives aimed at improving standards.

Representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church is taking to support churches in rural areas engage local communities in music.

Through the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board, the National Church Institutions are supporting new musical initiatives in churches in the following ways: • Hympact! is funded in partnership with the Royal School of Church Music, the dioceses of Salisbury and St Albans, to create and publish music and resources, and develop and pilot ‘school to church pathways’. It also includes the development of faith notes for clergy and parish lay staff to use both in schools and churches to explore the theological, religious and spiritual themes of the songs, and to provide a framework within which to engage children and adults in an age-appropriate way on the road to discipleship.• Choir Church in Blackburn Diocese, seeks to work intensively with eight parishes and schools, planting new local congregations built around children’s choirs which:a) learn excellent music with the Gospel at the heart;b) pray and worship together as a congregation of children, parents, teachers, and the wider community;c) work for social justice using the techniques of community organising, modelling a church which is both of and for the poorest.The Diocese Investment Programme (DIP) has also recently supported choirs and traditional church music in London and in Southwark dioceses:In Southwark funding is supporting the establishment of a new junior choir in All Saints Church, Kingston, providing children from all backgrounds with a free first-class musical education. It will:• involve children in a regular pattern of worship and a supportive church community; • ensure the future health of the choir; • bring new families into church, providing excellent opportunities to engage with parents and siblings and encourage them with music education.In London, the Hackney & Islington Project DIP has funded a music director to support catholic mission & renewal, and support the development of liturgical and sacramental music.In Portsmouth the Director of Music Dr David Price and his team are working with schools and churches to transform music across the diocese. The cathedral recently welcomed hundreds of school children from Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Portsmouth to a special St Cecilia Evensong and it has partnered with churches such as St Mary’s Fratton, to support the development of a growing and confident choir of children and young people. Portsmouth Cathedral also recently played host to Gabrieli ROAR where 200 young singers from across the diocese joined Portsmouth Grammar School for highly successful choir workshops and ten performances of “A Grand Georgian Christmas”, supported by the Gabrieli Consort.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the sustainability of supply chains in the defence industry.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a long-standing commitment to improve its engagement with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in order to broaden and strengthen its supply-base. The recently published Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent recognises our intention to foster a more diverse community of suppliers, and will prompt a refresh of our SME Action Plan. Alongside this, the department is undertaking other initiatives to strengthen its supply-chain resilience, including securing access to critical materials, components and technologies, and a first-of-its-kind wargame to explore how industry and the MOD could sustain personnel on the frontline when faced with constant supply chain disruption.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of community diagnostic hubs in rural areas.

We have committed to getting back to the 18-week standard by the end of this Parliament, addressing the unacceptably long waits experienced by too many people. The Department is working with NHS England on a reform plan for elective care, which will be published in the coming weeks, and will set out more detail on the plans for more timely, accessible, and accurate diagnostic testing.Approximately £1.5 billion of additional capital funding has been allocated in the Budget for 2025/26 to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care. This investment includes the purchasing of new diagnostic scanners, which will reduce waiting times and increase diagnostic capacity outside of hospitals, in communities and primary care, including in Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC). Details of how this investment will be spent are currently being developed with NHS England.All existing CDC locations have been chosen based on robust guidance to ensure that they meet certain specifications in order to reduce health inequalities, and integrated care boards were responsible for making recommendations on where there was the greatest need across their areas, including in rural areas. This includes ensuring that they have good transport links to improve access to diagnostic tests for the communities where the need is greatest.

What steps he is taking to improve protections for whistleblowers.

Workers who blow the whistle are entitled to protections from detriment or dismissal as a result of making a protected disclosure and a route of redress through the Employment Tribunals if these protections are infringed.The Employment Rights Bill will strengthen protections for whistleblowers, by making it explicit that sexual harassment can be the basis for a protected disclosure.

What steps her Department is taking to support police forces to purchase equipment for tackling rural crime.

It is an operational matter for policing to determine how they use the resources they have been allocated in order to carry out their duties, taking into account local priorities.The Provisional Police Funding Settlement announced funding of up to £19.5 billion for 2025-26, an increase of up to £1 billion, or 5.5% in cash terms, from last year’s settlement.

Communities and Local Government, what fiscal steps she is taking to help reduce the number of empty retail units on high streets in rural areas.

The Government is determined to combat the blight of vacancy on high streets. On 2nd December, new High Street Rental Auction powers came into force enabling local authorities to tackle persistent vacancy, implementation is supported by over £1 million of funding.Retail businesses across the country will also benefit from reforms to the business rates system including an extension to the retail, hospitality and leisure rate relief for one year, at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and the freezing of the small business multiplier for 2025/26.

What steps she is taking to support older workers in rural settings.

The government is reforming jobcentres to better match people with the right jobs and provide employment, skills, and career-focused support to individuals, including those in rural and coastal areas.A new national jobs and careers service will be introduced to help more people find work, as detailed in the Labour Market White Paper published on 26 November. The new service will cover Great Britain but will be flexible, operating differently in different areas to reflect local systems and needs – including rural areas and reflecting devolution settlements in Scotland and Wales.DWP currently offers tailored employment support through Jobcentres including a review of health, finances and skills for eligible over 50s on Universal Credit, with an online offer available to all. Our 50plus Champions, provide support through Jobcentres, to drive localised activity. In rural communities this includes adapting delivery of tailored employment programs, and Midlife MOT sessions, to ensure attendees in rural communities, can access information on local employability training courses and job opportunities.

What steps she is taking with local authorities to develop integrated transport systems in rural areas.

We are committed to empowering local leaders to design and operate transport systems that better serve local needs. The Integrated National Transport Strategy will establish a people-first approach to transport across all areas and set the vision for better integration. The Department is already supporting rural connectivity through the Rural Transport Accelerator, and the Buses Bill which will place power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders across England.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to maximise the use of developer's contributions to improve community infrastructure in rural areas.

The government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure, including in rural areas. Further details will be set out in due course.The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December also supports the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure, including in rural areas.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support farmers to receive higher prices for their produce.

Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 we can introduce regulations, applying to businesses who purchase agricultural products from farmers, which increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices. More broadly, the Government will focus on enabling a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, supporting profitability for farmers. In the Budget announced in October, the Government committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years, including more money than ever for sustainable food production. Furthermore, our new deal for farmers includes using the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce and seeking a new veterinary agreement with the European Union to cut red tape at our borders.

What steps she is taking to improve access to further education facilities for young people in rural areas.

This government is committed to driving economic growth and supporting opportunity for all. To help achieve these missions, we announced £300 million in the 2025/26 financial year for further education (FE) at the Autumn Budget 2024. We will set out how the additional funding will be distributed in due course.The department has a number of schemes available to support young people in accessing FE facilities.The Residential Bursary Fund (RBF) provides financial help towards the costs of accommodation for students attending a number of designated institutions delivering specialist provision. These specialist colleges mainly offer support for study programmes in the land-based sector, for example agriculture and horticulture.The Residential Support Scheme (RSS) provides financial help for students aged 16 to 18 with the costs of living away from home to participate in a study programme where the substantial level 2 or level 3 qualification within their study programme is not available within daily travelling distance.The department recognises that the cost and availability of transport can be difficult for some students in rural areas.The 16-19 Bursary Fund helps young people who couldn’t otherwise afford the costs of education to participate. In the 2024/25 academic year, over £166 million of bursary funding has been allocated to institutions to help disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds with costs such as travel. The allocation to institutions is based, among other factors, on whether students live in rural areas and how far they travel to learn.It is the responsibility of local authorities to put in place transport arrangements to help young people aged 16 to 18 to access education or training, using funds they have available locally. All local authorities have to prioritise their spending carefully. Local authorities in rural areas face unique challenges, but in these difficult economic times authorities in other types of areas face challenges too.The actual transport provided by local authorities varies, but sometimes involves giving 16 to 18 year olds access to school transport or bus travel for payment of a flat fee. Unlike for school travel, provision does not need to be free.Many young people in rural areas have access to a discount or concession on local bus or train travel, either from their local authority or local transport providers. The government also supports local bus travel, including in rural areas, through the Bus Service Operators Grant.The government publishes guidance for local authorities on their post-16 transport duty. Guidance makes it clear that local authorities need to look at the transport needs of those who live in particularly rural areas where the transport infrastructure can be limited.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of detached youth work in rural communities.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and the vital role that youth workers play in delivering those services and building trusted relationships.This government has committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy, which is an opportunity to look afresh at the training, recruitment and retention of youth workers, including detached youth workers. As part of the Strategy, we will be engaging closely with young people and the youth sector from across the country over the coming months to fully understand their needs and the issues they consider to be most crucial in addressing.The Strategy will be published next year.

Innovation and Technology, what recent steps he has taken to help improve broadband connectivity in rural areas.

The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that over 85% of UK premises can now access a gigabit-capable connection.To improve coverage further, we currently have over 30 Project Gigabit contracts in place to bring fast, reliable broadband to over 1 million more homes and businesses. In the last few months, the first premises have been connected as part of Project Gigabit contracts in areas including Norfolk, West Yorkshire and South Wiltshire, and the build has now started in earnest in other parts of the country too.

What steps he is taking to support (a) start ups and (b) SMEs in rural areas.

All businesses can access support through their local Growth Hubs, providing advice and support, shaping the offer around unique needs, whether town or country.The Secretary of State recently announced the Business Growth Service ensuring businesses across the UK get support and advice from government.Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. DBT works with other departments such as Defra, helping people living and working in rural areas to realise the full potential of rural businesses and communities placing them at the heart of our policymaking.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of extending the Rural England Prosperity Fund on (a) small business, (b) farmers and (c) community infrastructure.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is intended to support new and existing rural businesses, including farm businesses, to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy and to support new and improved community infrastructure that will provide essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy. An evaluation of REPF is underway and will report in Spring 2025.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of extending the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on (a) small business, (b) farmers and (c) community infrastructure.

The Autumn Budget announced that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), for which the previous government made no plans beyond March 2025, will be extended for 2025-26 at a reduced level of £900 million. This transitional arrangement will allow places to continue investing in local growth in advance of wider funding reform. It will ensure stability and flexibility for areas to deliver the most important local projects, which can include help for small businesses and community projects where relevant.We are committed to evaluating the impacts of the UKSPF. The UKSPF evaluation strategy is published online and sets out the approach to evaluation at programme, intervention and place level. The department is committed to publishing evaluation findings on an ongoing basis as they are available.The Rural England Prosperity Fund is delivered alongside UKSPF to help rural communities and businesses, including farm businesses. Its evaluation is also now underway.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Treasury on the potential merits of increasing funding to help (a) farmers and (b) food producers.

This Government’s commitment to farmers and food producers remains steadfast. Labour will always champion British farming to boost rural economic growth, strengthen food security and improve the environment. Defra has £5 billion for the farming budget over two years. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history: £1.8 billion for environmental land management schemes. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, with the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery all continuing. This funding will deliver improvements to food security as well as the environment.